


Stormseeker: Secret of the Shapers

by Serriya (Keolah)



Series: Stormseeker Saga [5]
Category: Geneforge, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Bisexual Male Character, Canon - Video Game, Dimension Travel, Drama, Humor, Immortality, Mild Sexual Content, Multi, POV First Person, Polyamory, Present Tense, Soul Bond, Swearing, Temporary Character Death, Threesome - F/M/M, Time Loop, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-21
Updated: 2012-09-23
Packaged: 2017-11-13 10:33:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 93,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/502573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keolah/pseuds/Serriya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lexen Chelseer, the immortal time traveler, returns to the world of Terrestia along with his companions, Tom Riddle, Grindelwald, and Cassiopeia Black, seeking to learn the secrets of the Shapers. Provided that any of them can stand being around one another for that long, at least.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Possibilities

My name is Lexen Chelseer, the Stormseeker, and I am an inborn Time Mage. Whenever I die, I usually jump back in time to the last time I woke up, although some things will send me all the way back to the first day I died. Unfortunately, my power is more limited than I would like, and I have found that simply not really being able to die doesn't mean I'm going to actually succeed at anything I try to do. 

I've just woken up in Torn Elkandu once more, on the day when I first died. I came back voluntarily this time, the first time I've ever done so intentionally. It's actually something of a liberating feeling, like I actually have control over my own life for once. 

I'm in my dorm room in the School of Thought in Torn Elkandu. I get up and look down at my ten year old body, and feel small. That's easily fixed, however. I strip off my pajamas, since it won't change them, and focus upon my Time Magic and will myself to be older, stopping at around twenty-five. I pull out a wizard's robe and jeans and transfigure them to be large enough to fit me properly. It's not perfect, but it's the best I can do without a wand. I make them a little on the baggy side. Better to overshoot as too large rather than too small. 

I head out of the dorm room and down the hallway to the cafeteria. A smile spreads across my face as I get a whiff of the delicious smell of pancakes. Since there are pancakes being served on my first day in any new life, they've become something of a symbol of hope and possibility to me. I stop and get a bite to eat before doing anything else. 

I step out from the School of Thought and onto the rune-lined streets of Torn Elkandu. I pause for a moment to stare up at the swirling purple-black sky. There's no real sun in Torn Elkandu, no moon or stars to gaze up at. Just the surreal expanse of the Ethereal Plane. I don't understand what it all really means. Maybe someday I will learn. 

I move on to the center of Torn Elkandu, to the Nexus. Eight rune-covered obelisks in a circle, humming with raw magical energy. This powerful arcane relic is the connection to all worlds, the teleportation device that enables travel across the multiverse. And in six hours, Torn Elkandu will be attacked, and the Nexus will no longer be usable for me. 

The Nexus is currently being monitored by Keolah the Seeker, my distant cousin, an elf woman with strange silvery eyes staring off at nothing in particular. I don't need to talk to her right now, however. I know where I'm going. I step into the Nexus and focus upon my destination. Diagon Alley. I picture the streets lined with shops firmly in my mind, and will the Nexus to activate. Glowing mists surround me, and when they fade, I'm standing in another place. It's a much more pleasant and subtle sensation than Apparating. 

"Lexen!" calls a woman's voice, bringing a smile to my face. A dark-haired woman stands nearby, having clearly been waiting for me. She looks around the same age as I do, but looks can be deceiving. 

"Cassie," I say brightly. I go up to her and embrace her tightly, and we exchange a passionate kiss. "I'd been worried for a moment that it wouldn't work after all," I whisper. 

"It worked," Cassie says quietly, mindful that we're in a public area. Not that it matters, anyway. It's not like we'll be spending long on Wizarding Earth. "I remember everything. Our souls are linked together now, so you dragged me back with you when you came back." 

And the fact that Cassiopeia Black doesn't _look_ like she's in her eighties is telling, as well. "Here, I'll show you how to get to Torn Elkandu." 

She's never been there before, and there isn't a portal on this world to simply walk through, that I know of anyway. I hold her hand and Recall back to the Nexus, taking her with me similar to how I would with Side-Along Apparation. 

"Oh, my," Cassie says, looking around at everything. The sky, the runes, the Nexus. "This place is incredible!" 

Keolah blinks for a moment, finally actually noticing that there's someone new here. Silver eyes focus upon us. "Ah, a newcomer? Welcome to Torn Elkandu. I am Keolah the Seeker." 

"Cassie, mind if I leave you here to look around or chat for a bit?" I say. "I still need to go get the others. And Keolah can tell you how to get here on your own in the future." 

"Of course," Cassie says. "Tom and Grindelwald will need a little help getting here, after all, given their situations." 

"Right now, I mainly just want to see what I'll need to do to get them here and how long it's likely to take," I say. "I'll be back in a bit." 

I step into the ring of obelisks again. I picture in my mind's eye the image of Malfoy Manor, and will the Nexus to activate. Glowing mists surround me and take me away to another place. 

I politely knock on the door. After a minute, the door opens, and Lucius Malfoy is standing inside, looking out at me a little quizzically. 

"Good day," Lucius says. "Is there something you require?" 

"Greetings, Mr. Malfoy," I say. "My name is Lexen Chelseer. I'm a time traveler from the future, and I require an object that was given into your keeping some years ago. May I come inside?" 

Lucius frowns in puzzlement and stands aside, allowing me to enter and closing the door behind me. "Do you have any proof for what you say?" 

"The object I'm looking for is a Muggle-style diary with the name Tom Riddle on it," I say. "Our master gave it to you to keep safe. I require it in order to restore him." He stares at me for a moment, and I go on. "It's in the secret room in the basement, the one you get into by tapping the hidden door with your wand in an S motion, and saying ' _Sanctimonia Vincet Semper_ '." 

"The fact that you know that gives a small amount of credence to your claim," Lucius says. "But I do not see how this proves you are actually from the future, nor am I even familiar with who you are." 

"How about you go and get the diary, and write in it asking if it remembers me?" I suggest. He should, considering Cassie remembered me, but I can't be certain that Tom actually went back to the diary or what. "I'm afraid I don't have the time to tell you some future event and wait for it to come to pass or not. I'm on a very limited timeframe here at the moment." 

"Very well," Lucius concedes after a bit of thought. "Please have a seat and wait here." 

"Of course, sir," I say. I take a seat on a small couch, and close my eyes, letting out a deep sigh and trying to center myself. I'm more disoriented than I thought. Not a few hours ago, I was sitting in the Chamber of Secrets with my closest friends. Adjusting to a new life is always shaky at first. 

After a while, Lucius returns, and hands the diary to me. "If this is some sort of trick, it's one worthy of Salazar Slytherin himself." 

I snicker softly and take the diary from him. "Did he tell you off?" 

"He told me things that only the Dark Lord could have known, and confirmed your story," Lucius says. 

I give a nod and stand up. "Thank you. We'll be off now. You probably won't be seeing us again. We're heading off to take over another universe or something now. Farewell. Oh, and tell Draco that Hermione is the Heir of Atlantis, and the goblins can confirm it." 

I grin mischievously and run off before I start giggling. I do so love messing with Draco. Once outside, I Recall back to the Torn Elkandu. I step out of the Nexus and open up the diary, and mutter, "Damn it, I don't have any pens or anything on me." 

Words appear on the page. "No need. There's plenty of energy here to make up for it. What is this place?" 

"Torn Elkandu," I say. 

"There is so much energy here, I think I can manifest physically without even requiring anything else!" Tom writes. 

Before me, the handsome form of a dark-haired sixteen year old boy shimmers into existence. Once he's fully formed, he pauses for a moment before using my Time Magic to age himself up to adult. Tom lets out a deep breath and hugs me tightly. 

"Well, that was easy enough," Cassie says, looking over at Tom and giving a small smile. 

"It's good to see you," Tom says. "It's good to actually be here for myself, and not just seeing it in a Pensieve. This place is incredible! I've never felt such a powerful concentration of magic before." 

"Wonderful," I say. 

"Another new arrival?" Keolah says. 

"And there's one more coming, too," I say. "I'm going to go get him now. This one might be a little trickier." 

"Good luck," Tom says. 

"Ugh, never wish me luck," I say, grimacing. "Every time someone wishes me luck, it seems like something horrible happens to me." 

"Sorry," Tom says, chuckling in amusement. 

Back to the Nexus, and this time I focus upon Hogsmeade. When the mists clear, I'm tucked away in an alley near the Hog's Head. Dumbledore will be inside. This might not be the best way to go about this, but it's the only thing I can think of, especially since I have no idea where Nurmengard actually is. 

I step inside the pub, which is currently unoccupied but for Aberforth and Albus Dumbledore. They look up at me as I approach. 

"We're closed right now, sorry," Aberforth says. 

"I'm not here for a drink," I say. "My name is Lexen Chelseer. I'm a time traveler, and I'm afraid that I have about five hours to get something done. And I need Albus's help with it." 

Dumbledore frowns at me. "A time traveler?" 

"I need Gellert Grindelwald," I say. "I know you once loved him. And I know he probably deserves where he is. But he came back with me from the future, and I made a promise to him. You have no idea how much I owe him. He won't be a threat to anyone else here, I can assure you. We'll be leaving this world again once I can collect him." 

Dumbledore stares at me for a long moment. "This is a strange story you tell." 

"Sounds like he's got your number, Albus," Aberforth says with a bitter smirk. 

"In one future, you told me that to get you to trust me and convince you of what I say, I should tell you that you see your sister Ariana in the mirror of Erised," I say. "Although I have to wonder if that's actually true. Perhaps you just told me that to let yourself know that I'm from the future, without it actually being the truth. Perhaps it's Gellert that you see instead." 

"No more," Dumbledore says, his voice sounding a little shaken. "Say nothing more. I will help you." 

I've never seen Dumbledore looking quite so disturbed before. But there's no help for it. I can't do this on my own, and I'm not going to abandon Grindelwald. 

Dumbledore bids Aberforth farewell for now, and pulls out a butterbeer cork. " _Portus_ ," he says, tapping it with his wand. "Take a hold of the portkey as well." 

I put my hand on the cork. There's a pulling sensation behind my belly button, and we're pulled across space to someplace else. Before us stands a grim fortress with impregnable walls, tall, dark, and oppressive. 

"Gellert is being held at the top of the tallest tower," Dumbledore says, leading me inside. "I hope that what you say is true, although I do have to wonder how you came to this situation." 

"It's a story longer than I have time to tell right now," I say. "But suffice it to say that, when it seemed like all the world had turned against me, he was one of the few still willing to stand at my side. I've walked a dark path to get where I am, but I'd like to think I've done some good in the process, saved some lives, made some worlds better places than they were before." 

It's a long climb to the top of the tower. We finally reach the top cell. The man inside is neither the old man I remember as Grindelwald, the History of Magic teacher, nor is he the young child who went by the assumed name of Gerard. He has aged himself down with my Time Magic to his twenties or so. I suppose it would be easiest to think of him as Gellert. 

"Albus," Gellert says, grinning in amusement. "You've gotten old." 

"Gellert?" Dumbledore says, looking at the other in surprise. 

"Lexen, good to see you," Gellert says. "Nice to see you came for me after all." 

"So his story _is_ true..." Dumbledore says. 

"You better believe it," Gellert says. "But don't worry, Albus. I don't care about this world anymore. There's a multiverse out there to explore, and I want to see it all. And I've got new friends waiting for me." 

"New worlds for you to subjugate and slaughter your way through?" Dumbledore says. 

Gellert snorts softly. "Like Lexen and Cassie would let me, even if I were still so inclined. No, I can regret my past, but it's nothing more than that. The past. It doesn't matter anymore. The only thing that concerns me now is the future." 

Dumbledore gazes at him inscrutably for a long moment, and then turns for the door. "Come. But I do hope Lexen's words are correct, and that I won't see you again in this world." 

"The feeling is mutual," Gellert says lightly. 

"Dumbledore," I say. "Is there an easier way to do this, so I don't have to go through you to get him out next time?" 

"It might be too far for you to Apparate directly here," Dumbledore muses. 

"No, I have a device that can send me anywhere, even to other worlds," I say. "Distance isn't a problem." 

"Then probably the easiest way would be to simply fly in to the top of the tower," Dumbledore says. 

"Ugh, I hate flying," I say. "But it would still beat climbing up all these stairs and getting past all the defenses. It seems like guarding against flying would have been an obvious defensive choice." 

"I hadn't really thought of it when I designed the place," Gellert says. "And now I'm grateful for my own oversight." 

We finally step outside of the prison and get past the wards. It took us over an hour to come in this way. 

"Thanks, Dumbledore," I say. "We won't bother you anymore. You won't see us ever again." 

Dumbledore gives a nod, and says, "Lexen... You were correct about the Mirror of Erised, in part. I see my family there, healthy and whole, and Gellert is a part of it." He gives a long look at Gellert, and shakes his head. "A dream that can never be. Good luck to you both." He Apparates away. 

"What was that about?" Gellert wonders. 

"He still misses you," I murmur. "He never really got over you, I guess." 

"Well, that's fine, because I'm over him," Gellert says, sighing. "Let's go." 

I take Gellert's hand, and Recall him back to the Nexus. It looks like Tom and Cassie must have been here talking to Keolah the entire time. Tom is examining the runes on the Nexus very carefully. 

"The Nexus..." Gellert breathes, looking around the place and grinning broadly. "I'm glad to actually be here at last." 

"And who might you be?" Keolah asks Gellert. 

"Gellert Grindelwald. Who-- and _what_ \-- are you?" Gellert wonders. 

"I am Keolah Kedaire, the Seeker. I am an elf. Specifically, a song elf from Lezaria." 

"Well, you have pointed ears, and your eyes are a little odd, but aside from that you look mostly human," Gellert says. 

"Not a house-elf sort of elf," I explain. "I don't know why our worlds give the name 'elves' to two very different sorts of beings, but such as it is." 

"Another Soul Bond?" Keolah says, raising an eyebrow as she seems to look through us. "How many of those do you have, Lexen?" 

"Only these three," I say. 

"You can see that?" Gellert says. 

"She isn't called the Seeker for nothing," I say. "They say if Keolah can't find it, it doesn't exist." I smirk at her. "And she's also easily distracted." 

"I am not," Keolah says. "Say, Stormseeker, I thought you were ten years old? Oh... you're a Time Mage, did you change your age?" 

"Case in point," I say. "You just noticed that?" 

"Stormseeker, are you aware that you are Soul Bound to a demon?" Keolah says, peering at Gellert. 

"I am aware of this," I say. 

"Is that a problem, Seeker?" Gellert says, smirking defiantly at her. 

"Oh, no, not at all," Keolah says. "I'm glad to see that foolish prejudice hasn't colored your vision, Stormseeker. I always believed that greater strength can be had from different things working together toward a common purpose." 

Gellert grins broadly. "My thoughts exactly. Sadly, that doesn't tend to work out so well in practice." 

"Quite right," Keolah says, sighing. "I'd dreamed of the Elkandu being a neutral group, accepting of all people. And things seemed to work well at first. But then I was betrayed. Sedder stole a powerful magical artifact from me, and went off with Sardill to splinter off a segment of our people into the Dark Elkandu." 

Sedder, the Dark Elkandu who made me watch as he tortured my young cousins to death, poor little Helga and Hilda. That was a long time ago, though. Nearly two decades worth of experiences in my mind. 

"Would you like to go somewhere today?" Keolah asks. 

"Nowhere, really," I say. "I'm just waiting for Sedder and Sardill to show up and attack Torn Elkandu, killing everyone." 

"Is that likely?" Keolah says. 

"It'll happen in a few hours," I say. 

"Oh, I see," Keolah says. 

"I don't know if we have any hope of going up against Sardill," I say. "But we'll be here to defend the place and see how it goes. This loop, at least. Failing that, we'll be heading off into another world to gain more power before we come back to today again." 

"Time travel is a little confusing," Gellert comments. 

"No one but Hawthorne tends to be bold enough to voluntarily go up against Sardill," Keolah says. "And in her case, it's more out of recklessness than having any hope of success." 

"Who is this Sardill, anyway?" Tom asks. 

"Sardill is a Catalyst. He can manipulate magical energy in any way he wants to," Keolah says. "And he's had ten thousand years of practice at it. None of us are anywhere close to matching his power. He's effectively a god." 

"I don't even understand why he's doing this," I say. "But I think it's because of me, somehow. 'Try again, Stormseeker', he kept telling me right before killing me." 

"It's strange," Keolah says. "Sardill doesn't normally get involved in things directly. He prefers to manipulate events from the shadows. He spent millennia starting wars against himself on Lezaria." 

"Why would he be interested in me?" I wonder. 

"Your Time Magic, perhaps?" Keolah says. 

"I suppose," I say. "Maybe I should ask him myself. See if he'll actually give me an answer this time." 

We spend the remaining time chatting with Keolah and looking around Torn Elkandu. It's wonderful to be able to share this place with my friends, even if it's only for a short while. We make plans for our next life as well, charting out a grand adventure. 

"Cassie, could you go to Diagon Alley and pick up some supplies before meeting up with us here?" I say. "One of those bags that holds a lot of stuff, a nice tent, stuff like that?" 

Cassie nods. "Alright. It's not like the Black family vault couldn't stand to be slightly dented." 

Soon enough, the runes on the Nexus activate, glowing vibrantly for a few moments. Mist fills the circle between the eight obelisks, and the Dark Elkandu appear. 

My friends and I call forth all the magic we have against the Dark Elkandu, but it's not enough. Not nearly enough. Some of the Dark Elkandu are killed in our assault, but in the end, Sardill sweeps us aside with barely a flick of thought. 

"Sardill, why are you doing this?" I ask, groaning softly, laying broken on the rune-covered street. 

"Because you are the only one who can change what should not become," Sardill says. "You have the potential to shake the multiverse, and shape the Trayziak Tatalyar." 

"Isn't that like, a poetic name for the multiverse or something?" I say. 

"Uttermost Confusion," Sardill says. "Ultimate Chaos. The universe branches like a fractal tree, and even the tiniest variations hold weight. And you can change time itself. The Book of Truths told you about this." 

"How did you know about that?" I ask. 

"I am the Catalyst," Sardill says, not answering me. "I am the one who starts things in motion. But you are the one who needs to make them happen. Try again, Stormseeker." 

Sardill waves his hand, and the world goes out. 

* * *

I'm back in the dorm at the School of Thought, ten years old again. 

That was strange. Every time I talk to Sardill, my view of the universe makes even less sense than it did before. 

I shift my age, transfigure my clothes and get dressed, and go to eat some pancakes. I think I can appreciate the potential, the possibilities, a little more now. Especially if even half of what Sardill says is true. 

I head out to the Nexus and teleport to Malfoy Manor. I pick up the diary again, convincing Lucius to bring it out a little more quickly this time. With that, I Recall back to Torn Elkandu. I'm hardly back there for a few seconds before the diary starts glowing brightly, and Tom Riddle manifests in front of me. 

"Welcome back," I say, grinning at him. 

"You know, this level of available energy is really nice," Tom says. "It's a pity that we don't have access to it more." 

"Take advantage of it while you can," I say. "Did Keolah explain how to use the Nexus? You want to go pick up your wand?" 

Tom nods. "Peter Pettigrew stashed it at Riddle Manor. I'll take care of that. You go get Grindelwald." 

"Right," I say. 

I step back into the Nexus and teleport to Nurmengard. It might be easier to fly, but at least now that Dumbledore has shown me, I know how to get inside and break Gellert out. 

"Would be nice to be able to get out of here by myself," Gellert grumbles as he follows me out. 

"Be grateful for what you've got," I say, chuckling. "Besides, unless something goes horribly wrong, it'll be years before we have to do this again, anyway." 

Once outside, we Recall to Torn Elkandu. 

"Meet back here in four hours, and we'll head to the new world," I say. "I've got a few more things I want to do first." 

"I suppose I'll need to buy a new wand," Gellert says. 

"Ah! Right, you don't have any money on you, either," I say. "Alright, come with me for now, then." 

I step into the Nexus with Gellert and teleport us to the Chelseer estate in Wishingsdale, on the world of Lezaria. I go inside and locate my great-grandmother, Hawthorne. 

"Huh, who are you?" Hawthorne asks, peering at us, her eyes settling upon me. I have the same distinctive green eyes and dark hair that she does. I haven't seen anyone outside of our family with this particular shade of green eye color. "I didn't think I had so many relatives that I'd forgotten who they are." 

"It's me, Lexen," I say. "I'm a Time Mage. I can change my apparent age at will. Actually, this is my chronological age. I'm twenty-eight now. I've been doing a lot of time traveling." 

"That sounds like fun," Hawthorne says. "And who's your friend?" 

"This is Gellert Grindelwald," I say. "Gellert, I'd like you to meet my great-grandmother, Hawthorne Chelseer." 

"Nice to meet you," Gellert says. 

"Hawthorne, do you mind if I borrow your sword for my next adventure?" I ask. 

"Oh, sure," Hawthorne says. She pulls off the belt and scabbard and hands it over to me. "Have fun. Kill lots of people with it!" 

"Uh, yeah, I probably will," I say. 

Strapping the magic sword around my waist, I head down to the family vault. I pull out a few gold bars and a bag full of gemstones. 

"Why'd you want the sword?" Gellert asks. 

"Figure it'll come in handy, where we're going," I say. "You have no idea how many monsters I wound up having to kill last time I was there." 

Valuables in hand, we Recall to the Nexus and teleport to Diagon Alley next. We head into Gringotts to get some galleons for our wands, and then over to Ollivander's. 

"Hello, Ollivander," I say. "I'm a time traveler, here to pick up my wand again. _Accio_ my wand!" 

From one of the shelves behind Ollivander, a wand flies out of a box and toward me, and then clatters against the wall next to me, completely ignoring my outstretched hand. 

I mutter, "And I still need to practice that spell better." 

I pick up the wand and give it a wave, and blue sparks shower out of it. I put it on the table in front of Ollivander, and count out the galleons for it. 

"Pine, dragon heartstring, thirteen inches," Ollivander says, staring at me. 

"Hmm, out of curiosity... _Prior Incantato_!" The wand shows the last several spells that have been cast. Nothing particularly remarkable, just some miscellaneous spells, but definitely more than there reasonably should have been. 

"Strange," Ollivander says. "I'm sure no one has cast anything with that wand before." 

"I think the wand remembers me somehow," I say. 

"Most fascinating," Ollivander says. "I've never seen anything quite like that before." 

"I'll let you toy with that mystery in some other timeline," I say. "Right now, my friend here requires a wand as well, and unfortunately I don't know which one is likely to pick _him_ , so we'll need to do this the hard way." 

"Very well," Ollivander says, bringing out wands for Gellert to test. 

After trying out a number of wands, Ollivander finally matches him with a wand of aspen and dragon heartstring, twelve inches. 

With Gellert's new wand in hand, we return to Torn Elkandu. Tom is back, and Cassie has arrived as well by now. She smiles at us when we appear in the Nexus, and tosses us each a bag, blue for me and red for Gellert. 

"I thought I'd go all out and get each of us one," Cassie says. There's a purple bag for herself, and a green one for Tom. 

We spend a bit more time in Torn Elkandu hanging around, relaxing, resting. I show them around the School of Thought, and we pop into one of the classes where the teacher is going on about magical theory. It's very different from the sort of magical theory taught in Hogwarts. I'd like to think that it's the Elkandu who know more about how magic really works, but what do I know? It's very likely that the Elkandu aren't really any closer. 

Then, with around an hour left until the attack will occur, we head for the Nexus. I picture our destination firmly in my mind from the last time I was here. A lovely place called Nodye Coast. I will the Nexus to activate, and the glowing mists take us away to the world of Terrestia.


	2. Hello Shapers

It's late when we arrive in Terrestia, and we're all tired. It's been a long day since we've slept, even if that day was spread out over three lifetimes. Rather than deal with the city at the moment, we head some ways off and put up the tent to get some sleep. 

"Be sure to put a fireproofing charm on the tent," I say. "Don't want it to be burned down by the first rogue fyora that shows up." 

"What's a fyora?" Cassie asks as she waves her wand and applies the charm to the tent. 

"A bipedal red lizard that breathes fire," I say. "Stands about so high." I put out my hand around waist level. "I'll show you some when we get into town. They're common creatures around here." 

As I head inside and curl up for sleep, I find my mind drifting back to Sardill's words. Understanding is a distant thing, however. I couldn't even understand the half of what the Book of Truths spoke of, and Sardill is enigmatic at best. 

Did he really start killing me just to force me to do something? I don't understand. I really, really don't understand. 

* * *

The next morning, we get up and have some breakfast. Fortunately, Cassie was sharp enough to bring along some food. I don't know what I'd do without her. Starve, probably. I keep winding up forgetting little things like making sure that we have enough to eat. 

"Will we stand out around here?" Cassie asks. 

"Probably not," I say. "Anyone looking at us will probably just think we're mages." 

"Mages?" Tom says. "I assume that's what they call wizards around here?" 

"Both words are used, so far as I know," I say. "I don't know if they have some distinction between them, or which is more common. I didn't actually spend a lot of time in Shaper lands. Well, I take that back. I spent a lot of time in Shaper lands making war upon the Shapers." I snicker softly. 

"Didn't like the Shapers much, did you?" Gellert says, smirking. 

"It's a long story," I say. 

"You say that a lot," Tom says. "But I think we will have time for it." 

"It's not like you'll need to tell _us_ twice," Gellert says. 

"I'll give you the basics now," I say. "Then we ought to try to get into Shaper training. That will take a while. Several years, really, I think." 

"Wait," Gellert says. "If you hate the Shapers so much, why do you want to be one?" 

"It'll take the best of my acting abilities to pretend to be a good, loyal Shaper long enough to learn what I want," I say. "And it's not just their Shaping abilities that I'm interested in. You see, Shapers spend several years training their minds. Mental conditioning, in order to absorb and retain knowledge rapidly, bring it to mind again quickly, make certain that they don't forget anything. They apparently spend very little time actually teaching, but more teaching how to learn." 

"That... sounds like it could be very useful," Cassie says. 

"Now you see why I wanted to come to this world first?" I say. 

"Definitely a good plan," Tom says. "Now, the question is, how do we get into Shaper training?" 

"Good question," I say. "We'll need to ask questions, try different things. Failing all else, if something goes too wrong, I can always kill myself and send us back to that morning to try again." 

"You know, that's true," Cassie says. "Now that we're all bound to you, that's actually a viable option." 

"Alright, let me give you the info dump," I say. "The Shapers are a magical sect that effectively controls much of the world of Terrestia. The only place outside of their influence is the Sholai lands, which they don't even know exists right now." 

"Wizards rule over Muggles?" Gellert says, raising an eyebrow. "They actually succeeded at that, here?" 

"Indeed," I say. "They also have some restrictions on learning magic, but the tightest restrictions are over the Shaping arts. Any non-Shaper caught even trying to use them is subject to swift death." 

"What _is_ Shaping, exactly?" Cassie asks. 

"The ability to create life," I say. "With some concentration and magical goo called 'essence', they can Shape new creations of various types, completely obedient to them." 

"Intriguing," Tom says thoughtfully. "Not just conjuration, but actually making permanent, living beings that they can control?" 

"Exactly," I say. "A Shaper can only control so many creations, but it's these creations that make up the bulk of their army, work force, and livestock." 

I lead them out toward the town to show them more, and demonstrate more clearly. I point out the different sorts of creations as we pass through, telling them the names of the beings and what they're used for. The tall, muscular red humanoids called battle alphas, used for shock troops. The acid-spitting worms called artilas. The surprisingly dog-like reptiles called roamers. 

"And what are those mooing things wandering around the field?" Cassie asks. "Those don't look like any cows I've ever seen." 

"Ornks, they're called," I say. "The most common livestock you'll see in Shaper lands. They're actually pretty tasty. You'll have to get used to eating them, though. Ornk will probably wind up making up the majority of the meat in our diet. Just hope that we're never so hungry that we have to eat vlish." I point off to a floating squid-like creature. 

"Yeah, that doesn't look very appetizing," Gellert says. 

"What about the small robed people?" Cassie says. "I thought they were just short humans at first, until I saw their long noses..." 

"Serviles," I say with a touch of distaste. "Their most commonly used servants." I lower my voice. "Don't be fooled. Serviles are as smart as any human, even though they hide it for fear of punishment or death. But when we're in role, we will need to treat the serviles as slaves, tools, in order to get in good with the Shapers." 

I head over to the jewelry store and get my gold bars converted into local coins in order to have some currency on hand. We then head over to the inn and book a room for the night. 

"Just one room?" the innkeeper says. "Suit yourselves. Travelers, are you?" 

"Yeah," I say. "We've come a long way. Nodye Coast is very different from the eastern lands." 

"I should hope so," the innkeeper replies. "Wild, lawless place. I'll bet you hardly had to go through any regulations to learn your magic. Don't expect that sort of frontier spirit around here, though." 

"We're not going to get into trouble for knowing magic, will we?" Cassie asks. 

"No, no," the innkeeper says. "Just don't expect it to be so easy to learn any new magic. And don't even think about Shaping." 

"Of course not," Tom says smoothly. "We would never seek to impose upon the sovereign right of the Shapers." 

The innkeeper seems satisfied at that, and we head back into our room. It's not a very big room, and only contains two large beds, but it will suffice for our purposes. 

"Alright, one of you stun me," I say. 

All three of them point their wands at me and strike me with red Stunning Spells. 

* * *

"Gah!" I mutter as I come to. "I said _one_ of you stun me!" 

"Sorry," Tom says, grinning in such a way that it's clear he's not sorry at all. 

"Alright, I'm going to go see about asking some questions," I say. "Feel free to mingle and gather information yourselves, just do be careful." 

"We're always careful," Gellert says. "You're the one who's caused most of our problems, remember?" 

I snort softly. "I won't even argue with that." 

"We'll give you some slack for making us immortal and taking us to explore the multiverse, though," Gellert says lightly. 

"And for being sexy," Cassie says. 

I chuckle softly, and lean over to kiss Cassie. When I break off from her, I find myself practically pinned to the wall from Tom kissing me instead. 

"Mmh," I say. "Not that this is an unpleasant distraction or anything, but I _was_ going to go out to talk to the Shapers." 

Tom laughs softly and slaps me on the ass. "Go." 

I head out of the inn and look around for the Shaping Hall. That would probably be the large domed building off to one side of the town. Am I even allowed in there? I find one man in Shaper robes outside, and approach him. 

"Pardon me, Shaper," I say. "Terribly sorry to bother you, but I need to ask a question." 

"Go ahead," the man says. He is fairly young, and I imagine that he might have only recently finished his training himself. As such, he is currently tending to some creations in the pens outside of the Shaping Hall. 

"Who can I talk to about Shaper training?" I ask. 

The Shaper looks me over dubiously. "You're a little old for that." 

"No, no, not for me," I say. "For my children." 

"Ah. Are you aware that if you give your children up for Shaper training, you will likely have very little contact with them for many years?" 

"I know," I say, sighing. "How old do you usually take students for Shaper training?" 

"As young as we can get them," the Shaper replies. 

"Six? Seven? Eight?" I ask. 

"That would be good, yes." 

"You see, I have four young children in my care," I say. "Their mother died. Tragically. I can't take care of them all myself. And it would be cruel to split them up. They are quite talented and intelligent, but very obedient. I'm sure they would be an asset to your order." 

"Well, bring them in and we'll see," the Shaper says. "Not everyone who goes through the Shaper training actually succeeds at becoming a Shaper. But I see no reason not to let them try. They're young enough, after all." 

I nod. "Thank you, Shaper." 

I bow to him politely and head back to the inn. My friends are out in the common room, mingling with the others at the inn, chatting a bit with the locals. I wave my hand, signalling over toward them, and head back to our room. 

"Did you find out anything?" Cassie asks once we're safely in private. 

"We should be able to get into the training alright," I say. "We'll have to take on the forms of children aged six to eight for it, though." 

"Well, that's alright," Cassie says. "I can have a third childhood, then." 

"Probably won't be your last one," I say, chuckling. 

As we're claiming to be siblings, I age myself down to six years old, to be the youngest. Cassie and Tom go for seven years, to be twins, and Gellert goes to eight, the oldest. I give us a look over once we're done. Tom, Cassie, and I could plausibly be siblings, but Gellert is blond and has a completely different facial structure. He looks nothing like the rest of us. 

"Is anyone actually going to believe that I'm your brother?" Gellert wonders as we work on transfiguring our clothes to look like the local fashions. 

"You could be the one with a different father that everyone pretends is really our full-blooded brother," Cassie suggests. 

"Did that happen a lot in your family?" I wonder. 

Cassie snorts softly. "You'd be surprised." 

After stashing our wands away in our bags again, we head over toward the Shaping Hall. The same Shaper who I talked to before is there, still at work checking over the creations. 

"Excuse me, sir," I say. Damn, my voice sounds so squeaky. "Our father sent us over here." 

"Ah." The Shaper straightens and looks over us. "He sent you by yourselves?" 

"Yeah," Gellert says. "But it's okay. I can take care of the little ones!" 

"We're not much younger than you!" Cassie protests. 

"Well, I suppose I'll have to take care of you children. I am Shaper Marzan. What are your names?" We introduce ourselves. "I just need to finish checking up on these creations. Have you been around many creations before?" 

"That one's a fyora!" Cassie says, pointing excitedly to the red lizard. 

"That's right," Marzan says, smiling at her. "And do you know what fyoras eat?" 

"Uh..." Cassie says. "Ornk?" 

"Indeed," Marzan says. "Fyoras eat meat." 

"What are you checking for?" Tom asks. "You're a mighty Shaper. Surely you're not just feeding them." 

Marzan chuckles softly. "I'm barely a full Shaper myself, but no, I'm not just feeding them. I'm also examining them for signs of disease and rogue tendancies." 

"What does 'rogue' mean?" Cassie asks, putting her finger to her lip thoughtfully. 

"It means they're uncontrolled," Marzan explains. "Creations behave badly when they aren't under Shaper control. They might even try to hurt people. So we always need to make sure the creations are calm and under control." 

"What do you do if a creation goes rogue?" Tom asks. 

"They need to be terminated then," Marzan says. 

"You mean you kill them?" Cassie asks. 

"Don't be squeamish about it," Marzan says. "It needs to be done for the safety of all." 

"Oh, I'm not," Cassie says. "You just used a big word. Why not just say you kill them?" 

"You and your big book words," I say. 

"Well, I didn't think--" 

"Shaper," Tom says, examining one of the creations closely. "This roamer seems pretty nervous." 

"Hmm?" Marzan says, going over to look at the orange reptile. "What do you mean?" 

"Well, look at the way it's breathing," Tom says. "More heavily than the other roamers." 

"Huh, you're right," Marzan says. "Good eye. You might turn out to be a fine Shaper one day." 

Marzan approaches the roamer and puts his hand on the creation's head gently, concentrating and murmuring a few soothing words. The roamer seems to calm down again. 

"Alright, I'm done here for now," Marzan says. "Time to get you children over to the Shaper warrens. Somebody more important than me can decide what to do with you." He chuckles softly. 

He leads us away, not toward the nearby Shaping Hall, but off to the edge of town and a short ways away. Carved into the side of a hill, there's a grandiose entryway flanked by half a dozen Shaper statues. Inside, we're led along corridors lined with crystals that light up when we get close to them, through a veritable labyrinth, and into what might be some sort of laboratory. 

Marzan goes over and has a brief, hushed conversation with an older Shaper. He points to Tom at one point. After exchanging some more words, Marzan gives a bow to the other Shaper, and hurriedly leaves the room. 

The older Shaper shuffles us along to another room, and we're examined, measured, and tested in many inexplicable ways. I'm not even entirely certain what they're looking for, but they seem satisfied enough. 

"They have a surprisingly high affinity for magic, given their age," one of the Shapers says to another. "Are you certain that their father wasn't a Shaper, or at least a mage?" 

"I believe Marzan said he was dressed like a mage." 

"Did he say who the mother was?" 

"I don't believe so." The woman, dressed like an Agent, turns to us and asks, "Hello, children. Tell me about your mother. Was she a mage, by chance?" 

"She's dead," I say, looking at the floor. 

"I'm sorry," the Agent says. 

"S'okay," I say. 

"She was a mage," Gellert says. "Dad always said she was real powerful." 

"I see," the Agent says. 

"Are we going to learn to be Shapers?" Cassie asks. 

"Well, we can't say now whether you'll succeed in the training," the Agent says. "But you certainly have the potential. We'll be putting you in to begin your training shortly." 

We're led off again and assigned to quarters. At least they're courteous enough to keep us together for the moment, although I have my doubts that that will last forever. Still, so long as we can get through the training, it will be worth it, I'm certain. 

"How long do you suppose we're going to be training for?" Cassie wonders once we're alone in the dorm area. 

"Years," I say. "Years and years." 

"This better be worth it," Gellert says. 

"If you don't think it will be, feel free to leave," Tom says lightly, waving his hand at him dismissively. "Run off and go someplace else. There's a whole world out there, after all. I, for one, wish to learn more of Shaping, however." 

Gellert snorts softly. "No, I'm staying. It's not like I'm being imprisoned alone in my own fortress for fifty years or anything." 

* * *

Cassie takes me aside a couple weeks later, whispers a privacy spell, and says to me, "You're acting too twitchy around the serviles." 

"Huh?" I say. 

"You've told us all about your previous adventure here," Cassie says. "But the way you behave around the serviles is... telling. It's like you're not entirely comfortable around them, not sure how you should be treating them. That's fine for now, as it doesn't contradict our role, but you're going to need to start treating them like a Shaper eventually." 

"I didn't even realize I was doing that," I say with a sigh. "I thought my acting was better than that." 

Cassie nods. "I figured as much. It didn't seem like you were taking on that role intentionally. Just be careful. Whatever you might think of the serviles or however much you hate slavery, we all need to act like Shapers sooner or later, or we'll never get anywhere." 

I sigh. "Yeah. Thanks for letting me know my mask was slipping. At least it's still early enough that it won't be surprising to anyone that we're still a little uncomfortable around serviles. But I will definitely have to work on that." 

Cassie grins at me, and gives me a chaste kiss on the cheek. "Now, come on. You promised you'd start telling us about your first time loop in Hogwarts tonight." 

It's kind of refreshing to be able to go into detail and tell them all about the experiences I've been through, without having to worry about ever needing to repeat it to the same people again. I'm loving every minute of the fact that every moment we spend together counts. They won't forget me. They'll be with me for eternity. No matter how much time passes, I'm sure that I will still be ecstatic at that idea.


	3. One Quiet Decade

I glare at my friends after waking up for the sixth time in one day. "Damn it, you guys, time travel is not a toy!" 

"Oh, come on," Cassie says. "We were just having a little fun with it!" 

"What's the point of being immortal if you can't use it to your advantage?" Gellert adds. 

"You realize all those timelines in which we die still continue on?" I say. 

"How do you know that?" Gellert says. "Can you be certain it works that way?" 

"I _know_ it works that way," I say. 

"And even if so, does it really matter?" Tom says. "We're not in them anymore, so they don't really affect us. And our actions did little to disrupt them, regardless." 

I grumble a little. "I'm going back to the essence pool." I get dressed quickly and head out of the room in irritation. 

I sit by the essence pool for a bit, allowing my magical energy to be replenished. I suppose I can understand wanting to play around with it a bit and test out what they can do, but I hope that they get this out of their systems soon. I don't _like_ having to age myself down into oblivion to reset the day. And I'm always paranoid about something going wrong and being stuck with the events of a day. That's happened far more times in previous lives than I would like. 

Cassie enters the room and approaches me after a while, quietly putting up a privacy spell. "I'm sorry, Lexen. I guess we weren't really thinking about how painful it must be for you to keep doing that." 

I shake my head. "It's not that. I just don't like doing it needlessly. It's probably just a holdover from before we were bonded, when I knew that whenever I did that, you'd be left alone in that world without me..." 

"You don't need to worry about that anymore, though," Cassie says, putting her hands on my shoulders. "You'll never have to leave us behind again." 

"I know," I say, smiling and placing a hand on top of hers. "I'm just paranoid, I guess. I've seen things go horribly wrong far too many times..." 

"I understand," Cassie says. 

* * *

"You have quite the talent with creations, young Thomas," says one of our teachers. 

Tom had decided to go by Thomas among the Shapers. Something about "Shaper Tom" sounding stupid. I imagine that it also helps to maintain a distance between himself and the persona that he has to play here. Although I doubt that he, of all people, would have any difficulty in pretending to be a good Shaper. I'm surprised that he didn't decide to go by Marvolo instead, though. I guess he really doesn't mind his name anymore after all. 

"Thank you, sir," Tom says. 

"Especially with the reptilian creations. I'm definitely recommending you for the path to be a Shaper, rather than an Agent or a Guardian of our sect. Your talents will be best put to use in making and managing creations." 

It's a little confusing that the name of the sect is the Shapers, but they also call members of the sect who focus upon creations "Shapers" as well. Agents and Guardians are also Shapers, but they're not Shapers. If that makes any sense whatsoever. 

"Sir, are there any snake-like creations?" Tom asks. 

"Snakes? Hmm, well, there are worms and artilas, of course." 

Tom shakes his head. "No, that's not quite the same thing. I mean actual reptiles. I like reptiles, but snakes are my favorites, you see." 

The old Shaper chuckles softly. "I can't think of any actual serpentine creations that we use, no. But perhaps once you are a full Shaper, you can assist in researching and developing a new breed." 

Tom's eyes widen, and he grins. "That would be nice, sir." 

"What about the rest of us?" I ask. "Me, and Cassie, and Gellert? You think I'd make a good Shaper, too?" 

"With Cassie's talent with magic, she would make a fine Shaper, yes. Although perhaps she would be better suited for an Agent instead. You and Gellert... I'm not so certain on. Maybe you could be Guardians?" 

I smirk faintly, and say, "Yeah, Cassie's real talented. She sure puts me to shame." 

"Me? A Guardian?" Gellert says, sounding offended. 

"There's no shame in that, Gellert," I say, giving him a warning look. "I would be honored to be a Guardian and fight for the Shapers, myself." 

"But I want to do more magic!" Gellert protests. "I could at least be an Agent, couldn't I?" 

"Agents are traditionally women, Gellert," our teacher says. "And while some more progressive schools have begun to train men as Agents and women as Guardians, I will not have that sort of nonsense in _my_ school." 

Gellert drops it, but he continues to grumble. He's going to get himself into trouble if he's not careful about that. 

Me, I'm going to take the teacher's reaction as a warning. I need to excel more in my studies. I've always been a below average student in any area that didn't involve killing things. I've been really having to push myself in order to get the Shaper mental conditioning down, and I probably wouldn't have a chance of getting it anytime soon if I didn't already know Occlumency. 

A Guardian, though, huh? I can work with that. I'd wanted to learn how to use a sword when I came here, anyway. I don't want to let the Shapers know about my ancestral sword, Zarnith, however. Not yet. That would be trouble waiting to happen. I'll wait until we're out on our own before bringing out the magic talking sword. I hope he doesn't get bored sitting around in my bag for years. 

* * *

The worst part is having to kill in order to maintain my cover. 

"Hebor needs to be reabsorbed." 

I can clearly see the trap for what it is. I'm left alone with the servile, Hebor, and if I were feeling more naive and optimistic, I might think it possible to let the servile escape, to save him somehow. But I know better. That's not how the Shapers operate. There's nothing but death for this poor servile, and potential expulsion for me if I don't do my duty satisfactorily. 

I maintain my mask. I expect that I'm still being watched even now. I offer no words of apology to the creature, and merely say, "Relax. It'll be over soon." 

I put my hand to the terrified servile's forehead and work to loosen the bonds of essence in his body. Hebor isn't struggling, isn't fighting. He is completely loyal, even to the death. There's no good reason why he should need to be destroyed. 

And yet that's what they asked of me. I didn't ask why. Asking the wrong questions can lead to problems. So I won't ask. I won't question. I will play the role of a good, loyal Shaper apprentice. No matter how much it hurts. 

I keep my mask, and report back to my superior. "It's done." He nods to me, seeming grimly pleased at my conduct, and sends me on my way again. 

How many more lives must I take in order to achieve my own goals? When did my own advancement become more important than the well-being of others? 

Logically, I know that it would make little difference whether I were the one to kill the servile, or another Shaper. My mind knows this. But my heart burns. I will remember every life taken unjustly. And I will scream their names when I bring bloody vengeance upon the Shapers one day. 

Farewell, Hebor. You won't have died in vain. 

* * *

One day, I return to our quarters to find Gellert packing. It seems a bit of a surprise, as we've been here for ten years now. He's almost seventeen. Did he not make the final cut, or decide that this wasn't for him on his own? I would have thought he'd be gone years ago if this were his own choice, however. 

"Gellert?" I say, coming in and letting the door whoosh closed behind me. "Planning on going somewhere?" 

"Eh," Gellert says. "Shapers don't want me around anymore." 

"They expelled you?" I ask. 

Gellert nods. "They didn't think I would be a suitable Shaper." 

"What did you do?" I ask. 

Gellert snorts and casts me a glare. "What did _I_ do? Nothing! Those bastards were watching like hawks for me to step any toe out of line, for any imagined fault!" 

"I did warn you about that," I point out. 

"What was I supposed to do?" Gellert snaps. "Agree with everything they said, never ask a single question, never wonder why things are done one way and not another? Never offer suggestions, or try to learn more than I was offered? Never perform experiments on my own?" 

I smirk. "You're really bad at this, aren't you." 

"What?" Gellert says. 

"You got kicked out of Durmstrang too," I say. "For performing experiments even they didn't agree with, wasn't it?" We put privacy spells over our quarters years ago, and keep them refreshed, so we don't have to worry about speaking freely in here. 

"Well, yeah," Gellert says. "And, well, I might have been performing a few experiments of my own here, too..." 

"Keep this up, and I'll think you have even worse luck than I do," I say, grinning in amusement at him despite myself. 

"It's not funny, Lexen!" Gellert protests. 

"Relax," I say. "We've already learned most of what we came here for in the first place. The mental conditioning was the important part, and we've got that down pat. Anything else we might learn, I can teach to you later. I promise." 

"I suppose," Gellert says. "But what am I going to do now? I've been forbidden from using anything that I've learned!" 

"Like that ever stopped you before?" I say. "Besides, they can't take away your mind. Nor are they going to snap a wand or anything." 

"Guess I'll see about doing some exploration," Gellert says. "I haven't exactly gotten the chance to see much of this world yet. I'm not going to let these damned Shapers get me down." 

"With that kind of attitude, it's a good thing you're immortal," I say. "I'll keep an eye on our link. If you get killed, I'll send us back." 

"Thanks," Gellert says. "At least I can count on _someone_ to be on my side." 

"Always, Gellert," I say. "Always." 

* * *

"Lexen, have you heard the news?" Cassie says, coming into our quarters and practically bouncing excitedly. 

"What is it, Cassie?" I ask. 

"Tom and I have been accepted as Shapers," Cassie says. "We're going to get real Shaper training now!" 

"That's great, Cassie," I say, beaming at her. "You guys will be good for it." 

"Hopefully they'll tap you soon, too," Cassie says. "We're going to be sent to another location for further training. An island colony, where we're to be assisting the older Shapers with their research." 

"So we're going to be separated, too," I say, a little dejectedly. 

"I'm sure you'll catch up with us soon enough," Cassie says. "You aren't that far behind us. I'm sure you can request to be sent to the same place." 

"Maybe another year or three," I say, sighing. "I'm going to miss you two." 

Cassie chuckles, leans over and gives me a kiss. "And much as I hate to admit it, I find myself missing Gellert, too. Funny how things work out, isn't it? He's a pain in the arse, but, well, he's _our_ pain in the arse." 

Tom enters the room, and sees us there. "Ah, did you hear the news already?" 

"Yeah," I say. "Congratulations. When do you leave?" 

"Next week," Tom says, grinning at me. "I say, we spend the intervening time celebrating as much as we can. Just the three of us." 

"Now you're talking," I say. "I'm never one to pass up a party." 

"I wasn't thinking a party, precisely..." Tom says, his grin turning mischievous as he waves his hand to seal the door. 

"Oh?" Cassie says. "Then what did you have in mind? Precisely?" 

Tom suddenly grabs Cassie and presses his lips up against hers passionately. Cassie breaks away after a moment in surprise. 

"Tom!" Cassie says. "And here I was thinking you were gay." 

Tom laughs aloud. "Oh, no. And you will be mine, too." He grins at her possessively. 

"Unless I'm mistaken, the both of you are _mine_ ," I say lightly. 

"Cheeky," Tom says. 

"But, what if we get caught?" Cassie protests. 

"Then Lexen can reset us, and it won't have happened," Tom says, pushing Cassie against the wall. 

"What are you doing?" Cassie says. 

Tom laughs again. "Are you complaining?" 

Cassie blushes fiercely. "Oh, no, not at all. But I'm sure Lexen wouldn't want to feel left out." 

"You think I'm just going to stand by and watch?" I say, chuckling. 

* * *

My latest teacher, Shanti, approaches me. As an Agent, Shanti doesn't tend to wear robes, even when not in the field. She wears leather armor, and has a necklace made of polished fangs. I wonder what sort of creature they might have been from. 

"Congratulations, Lexen," Shanti tells me. "You've been accepted as a Guardian." 

It only took another year, but I've done it. I'm going to be a full Shaper. I didn't get expelled and rejected like Gellert did. I wonder how he's doing, out there in the world by himself? I haven't sensed him dying frequently, but he has hit a few deaths. I wish I knew what he were up to. 

"I'd have thought you'd be happier about the news," Shanti says. "You seem distracted." 

"Oh, sorry, just thinking about my siblings," I reply. "I'll be able to go to the same colony that Tom and Cassie were sent to, won't I?" 

"Certainly," Shanti assures me. "First, however, we've got a routine mission I'm going to take you on. I'm sure you won't have any problems with it. It's just a formality." 

"I see," I say. "What do I have to do?" 

"Just follow along after me and observe," Shanti says. "We're heading out to a Shaper colony called Drypeak. We'll be leaving next week. I expect you to be ready by then." 

"Yes, ma'am, I'll be ready," I assure her. "What is the purpose of our mission?" 

"Drypeak hasn't checked in for a while," Shanti says. "I'm being sent to investigate what's going on there." She rolls her eyes. "It's probably nothing, of course. Just somebody forgot to fill out some paperwork. Drypeak's a small, dead colony. Nobody really cares about it, anyway. This is a waste of time, but it'll be a good learning experience for you." 

"You don't expect there to be any trouble?" I ask. 

Shanti shakes her head, toying with her necklace absently. "I'll be surprised if there's actually anything going on there. I can't discount the possibility, though. Most likely result? We go there and find out that somebody needs to have their hand slapped for not following regulations." 

I give a nod. "I see." 

"But let's worry about that when we get there," Shanti says. "For the moment, you've got ceremonies and preparations ahead of you. Enjoy your free time while it lasts." 

"I will," I say. "Thank you, ma'am." 

Shanti nods to me, and turns to leave me alone for the moment. I head back to my quarters to start making preparations. 

I just wish that my friends could be here to celebrate with me. I'm happy enough that I feel like I could send off a Patronus this minute, but I can't guarantee that they're alone, and I wouldn't want to risk anyone else noticing my spirit duck and wondering about it. 

I glance over the crap scattered about my quarters. Nothing really important. Just some random things to make it look like someone actually lives here. Anything actually important goes into my bag of holding, secreted away where the Shapers will never find out about it. 

I lean back on my bed and sigh, staring up at the ceiling. I close my eyes and feel the three connections in my soul with my mind. The only indication I have that I'm not alone in this world. I smile faintly, knowing that my friends are alive and well somewhere out there, and that I will be able to reunite with them soon. 

After all, in the face of eternity, what's a few years? 

* * *

As I prepare for the Shaper initiation ceremony, I find myself thinking back on my previous visit to this world. I'd wound up in a place called Sucia Island, where strange and terrible secrets had been hidden away from the world. A group of people from far across the sea came and stumbled upon Sucia by mistake. Sholai, they called themselves, and they'd never encountered the Shapers before. Their leader, Trajkov, had wanted to fight against the Shapers and bring justice to the creations that had been so abused. 

I have to wonder what happened, in this timeline. Without me there to affect the outcome of things, how would events have played out? Trajkov would have discovered Sucia Island five years ago or so. If he intended to attack the Shapers, he hasn't done so yet, nor openly. I can't imagine how anything that I did could have actually caused the Sholai to discover Sucia, so I can only assume that that much happened, at least. 

An old Shaper says to me, "Lexen. Do you swear to serve the Shapers, to uphold our tenets and laws, even unto death?" 

"I do so swear," I say. I can't afford to hesitate on a question like that. Not now. It's not like I didn't see it coming. 

The Shaper nods. "Then hereby I welcome you, Lexen, into the order of the Shapers." 

The Shapers clearly aren't big on drawn-out events. I'm given a sword, a set of armor, and a cloak with the symbol of the Shaper sect on the back. With that, I'm officially proclaimed a Guardian of apprentice rank. 

I have to feel more than a little guilty about swearing an oath that I have no intention of keeping. There are always choices. I feel like I should have gone the way of Gellert and walked away from all this rather than betray my word. 

But haven't I already been wearing a mask this entirely time, acting and pretending to be a good Shaper? How is this any different from the role I've already been playing? Once I've learned all I came to learn, and the opportunity arises to make a real difference, then the masks come off and I can be who I am again. 

And once the masks come off... there will be reckoning. It's an impressive mask that hides the rage boiling beneath the surface. Yes, I will betray them. I will break that oath I just made. I will seek to destroy the Shapers. 

But not yet. I still have much to learn, and I want to learn as much as possible before the time comes to strike. 

After the ceremony, I head out of the Shaper warrens and go for a walk down by the shore to cool my head. I've kept up the mask for so long, and yet, I'm eager for this to end. I'm eager to kill. Why can't I just be happy for the moment for being accepted as a Shaper? Things are never that simple. 

"Lexen," says a familiar voice. I look over and see Gellert. Not much older than he was when I last saw him. It's only been a year and a half. 

"Gellert," I say, smiling at him and compulsively whispering a privacy spell. "Good to see you again. How've you been?" 

"Can't complain," Gellert replies, looking over my attire. "You were finally accepted? Sorry I missed the ceremony." 

"Wasn't much to see," I say. "Just an oath I have no intention of keeping." 

Gellert chuckles at that. "Where's Tom and Cassie?" 

"They were accepted a few months after you were expelled," I say. "They've been sent out for training on Greenwood Isle. I'm going to be sent there soon, myself. But I'm being sent along on a routine mission along with an Agent, to investigate some colony up in the mountains first." 

"I see," Gellert says. "Well, I'm not going to get left behind this time." 

"I doubt Shanti will want you coming along," I point out. 

"She doesn't have to know," Gellert says, grinning. "I'm not so bad at stealth, myself." 

I nod. "Just try to stay out of sight. I wish the others could be here. But we'll be with them again soon enough." 

"Greenwood Isle, huh," Gellert says. "Sounds very... green. And woody." 

I snort in amusement. "The place we're going to first is called Drypeak. Sounds dry, and peaky?" 

"I'll bet you that Greenwood is a barren desert, and Drypeak is a lush forest," Gellert says. "When exactly are you leaving?" 

"Day after tomorrow," I say. 

"I'll keep an eye out and catch you then," Gellert says. "You better not sneak out in the middle of the night and leave me behind, or I'll hunt you down and... do something to you." 

I snicker softly. "This will probably just be a boring trip to a boring place, anyway." 

"Don't care," Gellert says. "I'm still going. You have a way of attracting 'interesting'." 

"Ain't that the truth," I say. "I'm shocked that I've managed to get through this past decade without anyone regularly trying to kill me." 

"The Shaper school in Nodye Coast is obviously safer than Hogwarts," Gellert comments dryly. 

"You can say that again."


	4. Journey to Drypeak

Shanti spreads out a map of Terrestia on the table before me. "Alright, this is where we are now," she says, pointing to a spot along the northwest coast. "And this is where we're going." She points to a place in the central southern area of the continent. 

I remember my first visit to this world, and all the time I spent tromping all over Sucia Island. The continent of Terrestia must be much larger than that island, and the island was already quite large enough as it was. 

"That looks like an awful long way," I say. "Are we getting there by teleportation or some sort of transport or something?" 

Shanti gives me a broad smirk. "We'll be using the good old feet." 

"Oh," I say, sounding a little dejected. 

Shanti chuckles at me in amusement and absently toys with her fang necklace. "Being a Shaper isn't just all about sitting around in your nice, safe warrens and working down in the dark. Sometimes you have to actually go out and do things, too." 

"Yes, of course," I say. "I don't mind, really. It just seems like an awfully long way." 

"And plenty of opportunities for education along the way, too," Shanti says, pointing at the map again. "We'll be passing through the Mera-Tev and the Storm Plains. From there, we'll cut east to the Drypeak Mountains." 

"I see," I say, nodding and peering more closely at the map. Forests, mountains, plains, deserts. "It's just a lot more than I'm used to traveling, but I don't mind. About how long will the trip take?" 

"It'll probably wind up being about a month or so, all told." 

The next time I'm in Wizarding Earth, I'm going to need to ask Sirius how he and his friends made the Marauders' Map. It would be nice to be able to see where my friends are on a map like this, even though I know perfectly well from our bond that they're just fine. 

"Out of curiosity, why are they sending us rather than someone that's closer?" I ask. 

Shanti makes a face and twists her necklace a bit. "The areas between here and there have not been under Shaper rule for as long as the western coast. They tend to be a bit wilder, less civilized and well-controlled. And when we get to Drypeak, we might find anything there. So the Council wanted to be sure to send someone from the heart of Shaper civilization." 

I give a nod. I like Shanti. I'm glad that I can comfortably ask questions of her and get honest answers rather than condescending looks or thinly veiled threats of punishments. 

"Not that _you're_ actually from around here, yourself," Shanti says absently. "But that doesn't matter." She grunts softly. "Nobody's quite sure just where you and your siblings are from. Your father completely disappeared after dropping you off with us. That's worried a few people. You know, they thought you might have been planted as spies? As if a six year old would have managed such a thing." 

"People really thought that?" I say, raising an eyebrow. 

"They wouldn't be Shapers if they didn't occasionally indulge in pointless and far-fetched paranoia. Because occasionally, even the most far-fetched of paranoid theories turns out to be true, and we need to be prepared for it somehow. Besides, you were so young when you were brought here that you probably barely remember where you're from, anyway." 

"Only bits and pieces, flashes of images," I reply, shrugging. "Whatever I might have been once, the Shapers are my people now." 

Shanti gives a nod. "Glad to hear it. Get your stuff ready to go. We'll be heading out first thing in the morning." 

* * *

I wish that I'd had a chance to talk to Gellert one more time before we left. I hadn't realized, when we spoke before, that we'd be going someplace quite so far away. I don't see any sign of him as Shanti and I leave behind the Shaper warrens in Nodye Coast. I hope that he saw us leave and is following us anyway, though. 

Shanti makes camp for the night in the mountains east of Nodye Coast. I consider bringing out the tent from Diagon Alley, but I dismiss the idea. It would raise too many uncomfortable questions under the circumstances, I think. Best to keep it on hand for when I'm alone with my bondmates. I've gotten burned pretty badly from trusting too easily before. I'm not going to make the same mistake again. 

A short while after we've set up camp, and the sun is starting to slip low in the sky, Shanti suddenly peers off into the foliage and takes on a combat posture. She lifts her hands in a hostile poise, flames licking along her fingertips, magic ready to spring into action. 

"I know you're there," Shanti addresses the darkness. "Come out now. There's no use in sneaking around like that." 

After a moment, Gellert steps out of the shadows, hands over his head. "Hold your fire! I mean no harm!" He grins crookedly at me and says awkwardly, "Hi, Lexen." 

"Hello, Gellert," I say, smirking. So much for stealth, I suppose. 

Shanti lowers her guard and relaxes a bit, and says, "Your brother, I take it?" 

I give a nod, and decide to feign ignorance. "What are you doing here, Gellert?" 

"What else?" Gellert says, chuckling. "I just wanted to keep an eye on my little brother and make sure he'd be alright out in this big, wide world." 

"I'm sure I can manage that myself, Gellert," Shanti says dryly. "You just happened to be lurking around Nodye Coast waiting for him to leave, or something?" 

"I've been spending the last several months traveling," Gellert replies. "It was fortunate that I happened to be in town when I was. I heard about Lexen's graduation and thought I'd tag along." 

"Can he come along with us, Agent Shanti?" I say, looking at her hopefully. 

Shanti fingers her necklace thoughtfully, and then sighs. "There's no harm in it, I suppose. If we happen to run into trouble, having another hand along wouldn't be a bad thing. I'll even give you permission to use any magic barring the Shaping arts in order to assist us." 

"I couldn't be an Agent, and I won't be a Shaper now, but at least I can still be a wizard," Gellert says, grinning. 

I rather doubt that Gellert actually cared much about any restrictions that the Shapers had placed upon him, regardless. So long as he didn't get caught, I'm sure he'd do whatever he wanted. 

"You? Wanted to be an agent?" Shanti says, raising an eyebrow and looking at him incredulously. 

"Yeah," Gellert says. "But they wouldn't let me, because I'm a man." 

Shanti snorts softly. "You also failed at trailing us stealthily enough to avoid notice. But then, to be fair, I _am_ a trained Agent, while you are not." 

Gellert smirks, and goes to take a seat next to our fire, not hesitating to make himself at home in our camp as if he'd belonged with us from the start. "So, where are we heading, anyway?" 

"A Shaper colony in the mountains far to the southeast, called Drypeak," Shanti replies. "It'll be about a month or so before we'll even get there." She gives him a long look, as if expecting that the prospect of a long journey might deter him from wanting to come along after all. 

"Ah, I see," Gellert says. "So we'll be heading through the Mera-Tev and the Storm Plains, I take it? I'm familiar with that area." 

"So am I," Shanti says, clearly unimpressed, although she doesn't say it too harshly. 

Gellert brings out his pack and produces some food. "I brought snacks, too!" 

"I did bring along provisions for the journey," Shanti says dryly. "But having more is never a bad thing. You can never be too prepared." 

I can appreciate Shanti's practicality. I would imagine that some Shapers might have simply turned Gellert away and told him to buzz off. But not Shanti. I wonder if she really expects that we'll find trouble in Drypeak? 

* * *

The three of us fall into a comfortable routine as we trek through the woodlands of the Mera-Tev. Gellert settles in as though it were planned for him to come along to begin with, and Shanti lets him. 

As nice as it was to be learning in Nodye Coast, it's exciting to be out in the world and seeing new things. I wonder how many things I might have seen during my last visit here that I'm unable to remember due to the magic drug Dream Sweets messing with my mind. 

After some days of travel, we come to a major city. I don't get to look forward to a night in a real bed for long, however, as Shanti has other things in mind first. 

"I have some errands for the two of you," Shanti says. "Gellert, I want you to go buy some more supplies for the journey. Provisions, pods, whatever. Make yourself useful. And you, Lexen, I want you to go to the local Shaping hall and deliver this message." She pulls out a bit of parchment from her pack and passes it over to me. "Find me at the inn when you're done." 

"If I must," Gellert mutters in a less than obedient tone. 

Shanti casts him a glare. "Be careful that I don't revoke your privileges, outsider mage. One word from me, and we're leaving you here, and I'll let the local Shapers know that you're not allowed to use magic anymore. So I would suggest that you show me proper respect." 

"Yes, Shaper," Gellert grumbles, looking at the ground. "Sorry, Shaper." He runs off before she can berate him any further. 

"And Lexen," Shanti says, turning to me. "Tell them that that message is straight from the Shaper Council, and they'd better not just ignore it." 

"Yes, Agent Shanti," I say obediently. 

I scan the city skyline and quickly locate the distinctive domes that mark the Shaping hall. I head over there, message in hand. As I go, I curiously glance down to see what it might say. It's apparently requesting a progress report on a new strain of artila, and suggesting finding better ways to increase the plating to make it less fragile, without sacrificing too much in the way of speed or power in the process. Mundane Shaper business, really. 

Once our errands are taken care of, Gellert and I return to the inn where Shanti has set up rooms for us -- the two of us to one room and Shanti to the other. But just as I'm going to turn in to sleep, Shanti intercepts me again. 

"Ah, good, you're back," Shanti says. "Got that letter delivered?" I nod. "And I see Gellert got us some supplies." 

"You need something else?" Gellert asks. 

"Yes," Shanti says, shoving a pair of boots at Gellert. "Get me some new boots." She turns to me. "And head back to the Shaping hall and bring me a set of scales." 

"What--" I say, then decide not to bother asking what she needs that for. "Yes, Agent Shanti." And I'm definitely not going to ask her why she didn't just tell me to get it when I was already going there in the first place before. 

I return to the Shaping hall and grab some scales that don't appear to be currently in use by anyone, and go back to the inn. Shanti takes the scales without a word and returns to whatever esoteric Shaper business she's currently working on. If she's measuring essence or something, why doesn't she just do it in the Shaping hall? I'm still not asking. 

Gellert arrives shortly after me, and passes Shanti some fresh, new boots. "Here you go. These, plus the provisions, cost eighty coins." He looks at her expectantly. 

"Ah, yes," Shanti says, absently tossing him a jingling bag. "That's enough for tonight. You two best get some sleep now. We've got a long way to go yet and we'll be setting off first thing in the morning." 

I bite my tongue to restrain a comment that I had been intending to do just that a while ago, and that I'm now exhausted. I cast Gellert a stern look warning him to keep his thoughts to himself as well, or at least until we can get into our own room and behind a _Muffliato_ to give us some privacy. 

And, sure enough, once inside our room and under a privacy charm, Gellert says aloud, "What a bitch!" 

"Relax, Gellert," I say, rubbing my eyes and starting to strip down for bed. "She's a Shaper." 

"Yeah, I suppose it's to be expected. Still." 

"And it's not like she's been being all that unreasonable, all things considered." I lay back and flop down on the bed. 

"She didn't even bother to get us a room with two beds!" 

"What's the problem?" 

Gellert snorts softly and folds his arms across his chest. "I'm _not_ sleeping with you." 

"Then you can sleep on the floor," I say, rolling over and pulling the sheet over myself. 

"Why don't _you_?" 

"Because _I'm_ not the one who has a problem sharing a bed," I reply. "Besides, I thought you were gay." 

"I am, but you're not my type!" 

"What, not manipulative Light Lord enough for you?" I ask. "I would have thought he wouldn't be your type, either, considering how much time he spent covering his own ass." 

"Very funny," Gellert drawls. He stands there staring quietly for another couple minutes before sighing and taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Fine, but no touching, you hear me?" 

"Whatever," I mutter. "Just go to sleep." 

* * *

"I wish we could just use that damned tent," Gellert mutters as we trudge through the forest. 

"Quiet," I whisper. "Shanti might hear you." 

Gellert grumbles, and murmurs, " _Muffliato_." 

"And then she might wonder why our mouths are moving and she can't make out any words," I whisper. 

"Fine, suit yourself," Gellert says, offhandedly canceling the spell. 

Shanti, several meters ahead of us, peers about. "Did you two hear a strange buzzing sound?" 

"I didn't hear anything," I reply, playing innocent. 

"Hmm," Shanti says, shrugging and continuing on. "We're getting close to the swamps. Keep an eye out for anything strange. Someone might have set up pylons or something." 

I cringe involuntarily at the mention of pylons. I did so hate fighting those things. "I'm sure there won't be any trouble like that." 

"Probably not," Shanti agrees. "But keep an eye out anyway. Some Shapers make the mistake of growing complacent, and not paying attention to their surroundings or what's going on around them. Don't be one of them." 

"Yes, Agent Shanti," I murmur. 

"You should always be aware of your environment," Shanti says. "Not just what you can see, but what you can hear, even what you can smell as well. Often you'll be able to hear or smell a rogue creation long before you can see it." 

"Do you seriously think that we might run into rogue creations out here?" Gellert wonders. 

"Unlikely, but remember what I said about being complacent," Shanti replies. "That goes for those who would serve the Shapers as well. You're no use to us dead." 

"Of course, Shaper," Gellert says, giving a nod and actually sounding like he's taking her advice to heart this time. 

"And, aside from the possibility of rogue creations, there's always the potential for trouble of the human variety," Shanti adds in a dark tone. "These lands aren't as tightly under the control of the Shapers as they could be." 

* * *

Sure enough, we're passing through swamp land next. The buzz of insects hums around us amidst hanging terraces of foliage, and our boots squelch in the muck. It seems all attempts at building a road through this area have led to it sinking into the mud anyway. 

"I always hated this place," Gellert grumbles. 

Shanti frowns a little and puts up her hand. "Quiet. We're not alone out here." 

I peer about into the trees, wondering if she's picked up on something I've missed. Then, out of nowhere, a group of scraggly humans is all around us, looking just about as muddy as the swamp itself. 

"Well, look what we have here," says one of them, perhaps their leader. "A couple Shapers and one of their pet wizards out for a stroll in the swamp, huh?" 

Shanti narrows her eyes and gives them a hard look, absently fingering her fang necklace. "Do you really want to do this?" 

I warily pull out the sword that the Shapers had given me. I'd feel more comfortable if I could just bring out my family's sword, but the Zarnith will have to wait for a while longer. Shanti would have uncomfortable questions for me if she saw the glowing, rune-covered magic sword that I still have stashed away in my bag of holding. 

A couple of the swamp folk shift uneasily, and one says, "Yeah, Bran, maybe we shouldn't mess with the Shapers." 

"Some of you have some sense at least," Shanti comments. She carries a long, curved blade at her belt, but she doesn't pull it out yet, just casually resting her hand on it. 

Bran snorts in disgust. "The Shapers think that they can rule this land, but they can never truly control the swamp!" 

"This is a bad idea, Bran! We're not messing with them!" Several of the swamp people break away from the group and vanish into the foliage again. 

"Cowards!" Bran calls after them. "Fine, the rest of us can take you ourselves. You're not so tough without your creations, I'll bet!" 

"You are a fool," Shanti says, sliding out her wicked-looking curved blade from its sheath. "But if you have a death wish, then I'll gladly accommodate you. Last warning. Surrender at once, or you will be crushed." 

Bran laughs aloud. "What, the little Shaper woman thinks she can tangle with real warriors like us? Let's show her what real men who don't rely on creations can do!" 

The half-dozen remaining swamp folk close in around us, and the three of us don't waste another breath. Shanti energizes us with blessing magic and slices at our foes with her blade. Gellert rains magic down upon them. I whisper, " _Protego_ " to put up a quick shield spell and run one of them through with my sword. 

I've never fought with a sword in a life or death battle like this before. Just practice and training back in Nodye Coast with the Guardians and Agents. It's awkward, and I'm a lot more nervous than I ought to be, I think. But my companions have my back, and between my magic and armor, the rebellious swamp folk never manage to scratch me. 

It's been a long time since I've killed. Once the battle is over and the men are dead, I find myself grinning like a fool, panting softly at the exertion. I'd almost forgotten what a thrill it was, what a rush a real battle could give. 

As Gellert goes over to check the bodies for loot, Shanti straightens and says, "The two of you are better at this than I'd expected, given the amount of training you've received." 

"What can I say?" Gellert replies offhandedly. "It's a talent." 

I wipe my sword off and put it away, still trembling a little. I'm nervous about her realizing that we _are_ more experienced than we're letting on, but at least I'm new enough to swordfighting that she's not likely to notice anything about that. Gellert might have the excuse that he could have picked up something while traveling, but I don't. 

Shanti comes up to me and puts a hand on my shoulder, and I tense up involuntarily. "Lexen. Are you alright?" 

"Yeah," I reply. "They didn't hurt me." 

"That's not what I meant," Shanti says quietly. "You've never had to kill before, have you." 

I blink at her and pause for a moment. "Right." I've killed plenty of people, but not in this life. Not in any life that she needs to know about. "Just... creations. No _people_..." 

"They forfeited their right to live when they chose to go against the Shapers," Shanti says. "You did the right thing, what you had to do in order to uphold Shaper law. And you didn't hesitate while doing it, either. You did well." 

I give a small nod toward her, still trying to stop my hands shaking. She's clearly mistaken the reason for it, though. I'm not shaking for being disturbed at killing people. I'm excited, _exhilarated_. I know, in some logical corner of my mind, that I should feel guilty for enjoying battle like that. But I just can't bring myself to feel bad about slaying strangers who were trying to kill me. 

"It's important that any rebellious thoughts are cut out as soon as they appear, to prevent them from spreading," Shanti says. "Violently, if need be. People must understand that the Shapers are in charge, and we will harbor no question or doubts about that." 

"I understand," I say. "It is my duty to fight for the Shapers, and I shall do so to the best of my ability." 

"Good," Shanti says, nodding approvingly. "Keep that up, and you will have a most promising career ahead of you." 

* * *

I'm glad when we leave the swamp behind, even if it's in favor of more mountains. Traveling through a place like that is bad enough, but having to sleep there? Even when I managed to get the insects to go away and not try to eat me alive, their incessant buzzing still kept me awake. 

The mountains, however, prove to be a nice change of pace, and the plains after that aren't so bad, either. We make our next stop in the town of Perikalia, one last spot for supplies and a night at a real inn before heading into the mountains to the east. 

"You'd best enjoy your last day in civilization," Shanti comments dryly. "And I have some errands for you, too." 

"Of course, Agent Shanti," I say politely. "Do you not expect there to be much in the way of civilization where we're going?" 

Shanti shakes her head. "I don't expect much of anything, really. For all I know, everyone there might be dead. But we'll see when we get there. For now, you have a few tasks to do for me." 

Gellert comes along with me to help out with carrying things, grumbling about it all the way. I've long since discovered that Dark Lords are not nearly so terrifying after you've lived with them for several years, and realized that they're just people, too. I never did find out just what it was that Gellert sacrificed in order to gain his dark power. 

Once we're finally done doing Shanti's bidding for the day, it's getting pretty late at night. We head to the inn and into the room set aside for us, and I peel out of my armor. 

Gellert sprawls out in the middle of the bed, and yells, "Ah, bed!" 

I smirk at him. "If you're still wanting me not to touch you, you're going to have to not take up the whole bed." 

Gellert snickers softly. "I just don't like being touched while I sleep, alright?" 

"Right," I say. "Afraid you're going to wind up waking up in the middle of the night and be halfway to killing whoever did it?" 

He blinks at me. "Yeah, exactly. How did you--" 

"I'm still pretty bad about that myself, sometimes," I say. "It's a wonder that I'll ever manage to sleep with anyone, not just having sex that is, without worrying about accidentally trying to kill them -- or worse, succeeding." 

"Well, no real need to worry about succeeding with us, but it would be pretty embarrassing," Gellert says with a smirk. 

"And then there's waking up after I die," I say, staring off at the wall with a sigh. "But really, the three of you? Sure, I trust you. I have to." 

"I would certainly hope so. Because you're kind of stuck with us." He grins. 

"And I wouldn't trade that for the world."


	5. The Gates of Drypeak

The Drypeak Mountains are barren and desolate. I find myself coughing a little as we trudge up through the lifeless highlands. Who would have thought that these mountains could be so dry and dusty? 

And there are buildings, shops and houses, scattering the landscape the further we go. There was a settlement here, to be sure, but there doesn't appear to be anyone living here now. There aren't even any bodies in sight, or signs of struggle. It just looks like whoever was here had quietly left at some point. 

"It's getting late," Shanti comments. "Let's rest here for the night." Shanti heads into one of the buildings. The sign outside indicates that this was once Venn's Alchemy, but there doesn't appear to be any sign of Venn around any longer. 

Gellert grumbles, "At least we'll get to sleep indoors, I suppose." 

"For all the traveling you've been doing for the last year, you certainly complain a lot about it now," I tell him. 

"Yeah, I took the tent when I left," Gellert whispers, winking at me. 

I smirk at him, and head inside after Shanti to get my armor off and settle in for sleep. I'd be more nervous about removing my armor if I didn't have my magic. Well, not to mention the fact that I'm immortal. But it's not like dying is ever exactly a pleasant thing, even so. 

"Is this the settlement we were supposed to be checking out?" I ask. "There doesn't seem to be anyone here." 

"We're only on the outskirts, I think," Shanti says. "There might be more people further on. They probably abandoned this area when they couldn't get anything to grow here. We're probably only a few miles out from the colony proper. I want to get a fresh start there first thing in the morning." 

There's the unspoken undercurrent that if we meet any trouble, she wants us to be alert and ready for it, and not tired after a long day of hiking through these dead and barren mountains. I can't blame her. She didn't survive this long as an Agent by being foolish, I'm sure. 

The next morning, I'm up with the dawn. Gellert, however, is still asleep, curled up in the corner of the room and snoring lightly. I don't know that I care to disturb him at the moment, so I leave him be for now and just go to get dressed, slipping into my chitin armor again. I've long since gotten used to the idea of wearing something that was once a bug. 

I don't see any sign of Shanti in the outer rooms or the one in which she slept last night. She must have awoken before dawn to get some scouting done already. I poke around Venn's alchemy shop a bit myself, as I didn't do so last night, but if Venn left anything behind when he abandoned the place, Shanti must have already taken it herself. 

Opening the door and stepping outside, I spot Shanti perched on a nearby rock and gnawing on a bit of dried meat. I head over to her, and she offers me a bit of food, which I nibble on as well. I don't think I care to go into potential trouble on an empty stomach. 

"Your brother still asleep?" Shanti asks. 

I nod. "Must have been tired." 

"At least one of you is up and ready to go already," Shanti says dryly. "Did he ever tell you exactly why he was expelled?" 

"He told me that he'd asked too many questions, disagreed with his teachers too many times," I reply. 

"Mmh," Shanti murmurs, fingering her necklace thoughtfully. "I hadn't met him, myself, but I saw the report on him. There was a bit more to it than that." 

"Was there?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. 

"Apparently, he was performing unauthorized experiments," Shanti says. "Fortunately, he did not actually know enough about Shaping to do much harm. He was very nearly executed for it, you know. But the Council, in its infinite wisdom, decided to be merciful this once. He's little more than a child yet, after all." 

"I didn't know," I say quietly, looking at the ground. "Why tell me this now?" 

"I thought you ought to know," Shanti says. "And it seems that your brother has not been entirely honest with you, either." 

"I didn't know the details, no," I say. "But I'm not entirely surprised. That does seem like something he would do." 

I know he was performing experiments, but I play ignorant. I don't want to sound like I was complicit in his activities, or worse, assisted him in some way. Gellert might have been expelled from the Order, but I still have a chance to learn more about Shaping myself. 

"Have you spoken with him much since we left Nodye Coast?" Shanti says. "Has he given you any indication that he might have been continuing his experiments? Practicing the Shaping arts that are now forbidden to him? Or trying to convince you to share with him things that you should not?" 

I shake my head. "No. He has not." As if I would tell her if he had. I'll gladly teach him all I know when I have the opportunity. He doesn't even need to ask me. 

Shanti looks at me with a piercing gaze, absently toying with her fang necklace, as if gauging the truth of my words. "You must tell me if he ever does, or you suspect anything of him, Lexen. I know he's your brother, and you want to protect him, but you are a Shaper now. We must guard the sovereignty of our order at all costs. And if you were to do something to compromise that, it could cost not only his life, but your own as well." 

I give a slow nod. "I understand, Agent Shanti. But I swore my oaths to the Shaper order, and I will stand by them." 

"Good," Shanti says, nodding, although still looking at me, as if unsure what I would actually do if I ever had to choose between Gellert and the Shapers. But for now, at least, I must put on the mask of a good, loyal Shaper. And if they ever actually try to execute him... then the walls come down, and they will _all die_. 

I finish eating my own breakfast, and make certain that my equipment is in good order. "Do you think we'll run into trouble in Drypeak?" 

Shanti fingers her necklace and frowns. "I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this place. I'd like us to be as prepared as we can be." 

After a minute, the door to Venn's Alchemy opens behind us, and Gellert steps outside, yawning and stretching. "Morning," he mutters languidly. 

"Well, you're finally awake," Shanti drawls, getting to her feet. "I hope you're well-rested after your nice, long sleep." 

"Didn't realize it was so late already," Gellert says. 

"Let's get moving," Shanti says. "We're getting close to the colony. When we get there, I'm going to need to talk to the administrators, Zakary and Barzahl. But until then, be on alert. I'll take point." 

Gellert and I follow after Shanti. I absently put my left hand on my sword hilt as we go, peering about the area and perking up my ears. A little ways on, I hear a scratching sound to the left side of the path. I stop and frown, squinting off in that direction. 

"Did you hear something?" Shanti asks. 

"I think there's something over there," I say, pointing off vaguely. 

"Ah," Shanti says, sniffing at the air absently. "I see. You can take care of it, if you like." 

I draw out my sword and move forward. There's a very large rat, larger than many cats, lurking back amidst some forgotten trash between the abandoned buildings. It bares its teeth at me aggressively, and scrambles toward me as if I'm a tasty piece of fresh meat. I stick the rat with my sword before it can bite me, killing it. 

"Well, that was a rodent of unusual size," Gellert comments. 

"Let this be a small lesson in why the Shaping arts need to be carefully controlled, to both of you," Shanti says from behind us. "Giant rats like that were created in a Shaper experiment. But one of them got loose, and bred out in the world, and now they infest any corner and hole that they can find." 

"Ugh," I mutter disgustedly, cleaning off my sword. "As if the normal ones weren't bad enough." 

Gellert, however, looks pretty disinterested and unswayed by Shanti's comment. He stays quiet, for his part, and the three of us continue on. 

Further on, Shanti stops outside of a small Shaping hall. "I want you two to go in there and investigate. See if you can find anymore supplies." 

"Don't we have enough supplies?" Gellert asks, groaning a little. "Shaper," he adds almost as an afterthought. 

Shanti glares at him for a moment, but lets his disrespectful tone slide this time. "How much is enough? You can never be too prepared." 

"We'll check it out," I tell her before Gellert can say anything else. 

I head into the domed building, tugging at Gellert's sleeve to drag him along after me. This place is deserted as the rest of the buildings we've seen, with essence basins laying dry and empty, but at least there don't appear to be anymore rats in here. Gellert goes over to poke through a cabinet, and pockets a healing pod he finds inside. 

" _Muffliato_ ," I whisper, making sure we're not overheard. "Gellert, you really need to not push your luck so much when talking to Shanti." 

"Why?" Gellert says. "She's a bitch who thinks she can keep ordering me around!" 

I sigh. "And if that's the way you talk to every Shaper, I'm surprised that they haven't _killed_ you yet." 

Gellert pauses for a moment, and then says sheepishly, "Not... often..." 

I rub my temples. "Still your tongue and harden your heart, and keep your thoughts to yourself. We're here to gain knowledge, to gain _power_ , and we can't do that by pissing off those who would grant us that power!" 

Gellert snorts softly, and picks up a living tool off one of the tables, shoving it into his bag a little more roughly than necessary. "A little late for that. I'll just learn it from the three of you later." 

"I warned you about this ten years ago," I snap. "And you're _still_ not listening! Your words and actions could compromise all of us!" 

"And what will you do if it comes down to that?" Gellert says, looking at me pointedly. "Will you side against me just to keep your position?" 

"Up until they start talking about actually executing you, at least," I say grimly, making a face. "And if we can't find any other way to avoid that... then the masks come off. There's no way I'm letting them kill you, no matter what." 

Gellert nods. "I was getting a little worried there for a moment." 

"You didn't seriously think I'd let them hurt you, did you?" I say. 

"I don't know," Gellert says. "You've been pretty intent upon learning whatever you can from them." 

"Yes, but not at the cost of my friends. It's not worth that. There will be other ways to learn the Shaping arts. Even if we had to spend another decade setting it up again." 

"You're welcome to do that if you like," Gellert says. " _I'm_ not going through that again, however." 

I poke around the Shaping hall in quiet thought for a few moments, finding an intact essence pool in the back room. That might prove useful should we wind up getting killed by something today. 

"You'll fit in well with the rebels," I finally say. "I just hope their cause spread beyond Sucia Island without my assistance. I'd dearly love to see Trajkov again." 

Gellert chuckles. "I just hope that we can meet this rebellion you've talked about sooner rather than later." 

"But for now," I say. "Play nice with the Shapers. Please." I set my face in a grim expression. "When we turn on them and start killing them, I want them to have no inkling that we're about to betray them up until the spells start flying." 

Gellert grins darkly at that. "I think I can live with that." 

"Come on. Shanti's waiting for us." 

We head out of the Shaping hall again. There's no sign of Shanti outside of the Shaping hall any longer, and a quick scan of the area doesn't indicate that she's anywhere in sight still. 

"Or maybe she isn't," Gellert says with a smirk. 

"Maybe she moved on to scout ahead," I suggest. 

We continue on in the direction of the Drypeak gates, down the dusty road and past several more abandoned buildings. Then, as we round a cluster of sickly, scraggly trees, we spot a fyora standing on the path ahead. The waist-high bipedal reptile looks at us for a moment, lacking the least bit of obedience or servility in its gaze. It's a rogue creation, completely feral and in no way under Shaper control. 

"A rogue, here?" I say with a touch of surprise. 

"It doesn't look like it's feeling particularly aggressive, though," Gellert comments. 

The fyora doesn't make any move to attack as we draw close. It sniffs at us hesitantly, and then after a moment, it turns and scurries off nervously. I wonder if we're going to find anyone in Drypeak at all, if things have gone so wrong that there are rogues wandering around like this. 

We come upon Shanti not far ahead, looking even more distressed than she'd been before. Her blade is in her hand, ready for danger, and she looks as alert as a hunting predator. 

"Something is definitely not right here," Shanti says. 

"We saw a rogue fyora," I say. "Did you run into more rogues as well?" 

Shanti nods. "I caught the smell of them ahead. More fyoras, I think. This isn't good. Something has gone really wrong here, and I mean to find out what. But first, I think the situation warrants giving a little more training. To both of you." 

I blink for a moment in surprise. She must really think the situation is serious if giving Gellert more training is a good idea. Shanti comes over to me to demonstrate some blade techniques, describing the necessary movements for the skill. Then she goes and teaches Gellert a new spell called Daze, used to temporarily disorient one's enemies. 

"Alright," Shanti says once she's done. "There are a number of rogues ahead of us, and it is our duty to slay them. I'll go on ahead and try to clear a path. You follow after me and see if you can hunt down and kill any rogues that I might have missed." 

"Shouldn't we stick together, Agent Shanti?" I say. "You might need our help." 

Shanti laughs at me. "I think I can manage to kill a few rogues by myself," she says mockingly. "A nice offer, but remember that I'm the one who is watching after you here, not the other way around. I'll be able to fight more easily without having to worry about you getting hurt." 

"With all due respect, Shaper," Gellert says, licking his lips. "Didn't we prove ourselves against the swamp rebels?" 

"You did," Shanti says. "That's why I can feel confident that the two of you won't have any trouble rooting out any rogues that I leave for you. Be sure to clear out any that you find." 

"Yes, Agent Shanti," I tell her. "We won't leave any rogues alive." 

"Good," Shanti says, nodding and heading off down the road and quickly moving out of sight. 

"So," Gellert says to me conversationally, casually heading off in the direction she went. "What do you want to bet that everyone in Drypeak got eaten?" 

I snort softly. "I doubt that. They'd have to be the worst Shapers ever to get eaten by fyoras. Besides, I don't bet." 

"Why?" Gellert says. "Because you don't like to take chances, or because you can cheat?" 

I smirk. "Both, really." 

"Well, _I_ would know if you were cheating. But _conjecture_ , then. What do you suppose happened here?" 

"I don't have enough information to make an accurate assessment yet," I reply. 

"Bah, you're no fun." 

We travel down the road after Shanti, alert for any sign of rogues. However, if there had been any in this stretch, she was very thorough in removing them. I can hear the sounds of battle from some distance ahead, roars and spells echoing in the air, and a strange sound that seems to be Shanti's laughter. Some while later, we come upon another building containing healing and essence pools. After searching it for supplies, we move on. 

There are a handful of fyoras skulking about between the twisted trees and crumbling buildings. I'm glad to get in some more practice with my sword, and Gellert seems positively gleeful at the prospect of using battle magic to slay enemies. We readily cut our way through and remove any sign of rogue presence in the area. 

The place grows quiet, and even the nearby sounds of battle have ceased. We find Shanti standing outside of Drypeak's customs gate. It seems to be just as deserted as the rest of this place. 

"There's nobody here, either?" I say in surprise. "Aren't there supposed to be guards here to ask us what our business is?" 

Shanti nods, scowling and fingering her necklace. "But instead, it's locked and abandoned. This is a disgrace to the name of the Shapers! This colony is in a miserable state, and I mean to find out why, even if I have to tear down this gate with my bare hands. Zakary and Barzahl had better have answers for me." 

"What are we going to do?" I ask. 

Shanti points at us. "You two are going to look around and see if you can find a way around this gate. _I_ am going to have lunch." 

Gellert opens his mouth as if to say something, but then thinks better of it and closes it again. 

"Yes, Shaper," I say obediently. "We'll see what we can find." 

Gellert and I head off to scout out the area near the gate. Once we're out of sight of Shanti, Gellert mutters, "Such a bitch. She's not even pretending not to be a bitch." 

I sigh. "I know. But for all her bitchiness, she did teach you a new spell." I spot movement nearby, and swing my blade to bisect a large rat. 

"I guess that's something," Gellert murmurs, absently sweeping through some of the rats with magic. "She can live, for now, I suppose. But I want to be the one to kill her later." 

"At least put up a privacy spell before you go and start talking about killing people," I hiss, stabbing another rat viciously. 

"Whatever," Gellert says, incinerating the last of the giant rats. 

I shake my head, giving up on the argument. "I don't know just what she's done to piss you off so badly. She's hardly the worst Shaper I've ever met. She's pretty reasonable, all things considered." 

"Yeah, but in her case, it's personal," Gellert says. 

"I'd rather not see her die," I say. "But if it ever winds up coming to that, you can have that honor." 

Gellert grins at me gleefully and goes over to sift around through the rats' nest. They appear to have scavenged a number of items, most of them trash, but Gellert pulls out a key and tosses it casually over to me. "I think we've found what we were looking for." 

We return to the customs gate, where Shanti is casually sitting and munching on some bread and dried meat. "Find anything?" 

I hold up the key. "Let's see if this does the trick." I go over to the nearby door, and, sure enough, the key unlocks it. I'm sure I could have opened it without the help of a key, but not with Shanti watching. I don't want to reveal too much of my abilities. Not now. 

Inside the building, there's a lever to open the gate. I go over and pull it, and there's a rumbling sound as the large stone gate slides down to allow passage into the colony. 

"Let's see if there's anything else in the building," Gellert says. "It was locked, so the rogues probably haven't touched any supplies that might have been left in here." 

"They probably didn't leave much when they evacuated the place," I say, shrugging. "But it couldn't hurt to take a look." 

The building contains a barracks and some storerooms. There's some thorn batons laying in one of the storage areas. These living thorn-spitting projectile weapons aren't really my sort of weapon. I'd prefer to stick with my sword and my magic. But I put the baton that's still intact and alive into my bag regardless. If nothing else, I can at least sell it later for a few coins. 

We come to the back of the building, and Gellert tries a door. "Hmm, this one's locked." He doesn't even bother to pull out his wand, just flicking his fingers in the correct gesture and murmuring, " _Alohomora_." The weak lock clicks open immediately. 

Inside the room, there's a single book on a pedestal. Gellert's eyes widen a little and he rushes over to take a look. I come up after him only a little more slowly. It's a book of magic, detailing the means to cast the spell War Blessing. 

"An actual spellbook?" Gellert says. "And here I was starting to think the Shapers were too paranoid to put their words down in writing at all most of the time." 

"They are," I say, smirking. "It's no wonder this was locked up. Even if it's not Shaping arts, forbidden magic to outsiders, anyone could still read this and learn to cast a spell." 

Both of us read through the book and quickly absorb the information given to learn the new spell. "Ten years to perfect those mental techniques," Gellert mutters. "And it's finally starting to pay off." 

"Heh. I told you it would be worth it." 

"Of that, I had no doubt." 

I take the book and shove it into my bag of holding. "Let's go meet up with Shanti again." 

We head out of the building and step through the main gate. Beyond, I can hear sounds indicating that Drypeak isn't completely deserted after all. There's the faint noises of voices and footsteps in the distance, the clanging of metal on metal from a blacksmith. 

Shanti is standing on the path before us, fuming and twining her tooth necklace with her fingers. "I can't believe this. How did Zakary and Barzahl allow things to get to such a state? There are rogues crawling all over, and the main gate and customs gate were both abandoned and unguarded!" 

"I get the feeling that if they weren't eaten, they might wish they had been soon..." Gellert murmurs. 

Shanti clenches her teeth. "This place is a disgrace. It makes the Shapers look like fools. Weak. Unable to control our own lands." She pins Gellert with a look. "Perhaps I should not say this in front of an outsider, even a failed candidate, but I think you know enough of the matter as it is. As Shapers, we might argue internally, but we do not allow ourselves to appear _weak_ to the outside world." 

"I understand," Gellert says. "It's an entirely sensible way of going about things." He smirks. "It's what I would do." 

Shanti nods tersely. "This sort of thing will not be tolerated. I _will_ have answers. And they had better be good ones. Because there will be hell to pay if Zakary and Barzahl give me any pathetic excuses for what has happened here. I'm getting to the bottom of this. Lexen, Gellert, come with me." 

She turns and strides into the colony of Drypeak, and Gellert and I follow after her.


	6. Questions and Answers

The three of us head into the colony proper, where there are actually signs of life that isn't rogue creations of one sort or another. While it would be a stretch to call the town "bustling", it's certainly a lot more active than the miles of abandoned ruins would have indicated.

As we enter the town, a warrior approaches us, perhaps the captain of the guard, judging by his attire. He frowns deeply at us, looking us over. "Greetings. I am Captain Takena. I apologize that your welcome to Drypeak was not more timely, but circumstances have been difficult around here of late, and we have not had many friendly visitors."

"At least there was an apology in there," Shanti mutters. "But what is this? You've received a visitor straight from the Shaper Council themselves, and they could only be bothered to send a mere guard out to greet us? This is insulting!"

Gellert snorts softly behind me, but holds his tongue for the moment.

"I-- I'm afraid I can't allow you to proceed until you've identified yourself and stated the reason for your visit, and your business here," Captain Takena says.

"What!?" Shanti exclaims. "My business is with Zakary and Barzahl! Take me to them at once!"

"I'm sorry, Shaper. My orders are clear. I can't allow anyone into the colony unless they have some evidence to give that they have business here. I apologize that you've traveled so far only to be turned away, but I hope you understand how it is here, under the circumstances."

Shanti glowers at him quietly for a few moments, toying with her necklace, fuming and clearly trying to get her rage under control.

" _What_ circumstances?" I put in, taking a chance to speak up. "The Shaper Council sent us to check up on the state of this colony. That is exactly what we need to know. And we need to speak with Zakary and Barzahl about it. And what do you think the Shaper Council might think if we went back to them and told them we were turned away at the gate?"

Both Shanti and Takena look at me in surprise. The guard captain had clearly almost forgotten that Gellert and I were even there, dismissed us as scenery, merely backup for the real Shaper. Takena staggers for a moment, paling under my veiled threat. A mere apprentice might not be able to do much to him, but even he can see that I have a point.

"Very well," Takena says. "I will take you to Zakary now. But I must warn you that any attempt at treachery or deception will be met harshly and without tolerance."

Shanti glares at him for a moment longer and gives a terse nod. He leads us off toward the Shaper warrens in the eastern part of the colony.

As we go, Shanti says to me quietly, "You'd be wise not to invoke the Shaper Council so freely, but in this case, your point was well-made."

"Of course, Agent Shanti," I murmur.

We head through the colony, and I get my first good look at the place. There are homes and shops that are actually active and occupied, serviles working at what meager crops can grow in this environment, and in the distance, I think I can see the entrance to a mine.

The trees, however, are growing all over the place, some of them very nearly ripping up the roads and buildings. They're pathetic things, these trees, all wood and with little in the way of leaves. Why are there so many of them? A Shaper-made plant growing out of control, perhaps?

Captain Takena leads us into the Shaper warrens, and we head inside after him. This is something of a breath of fresh air, so to speak. The place is surprisingly clean and well-maintained, with smoothly polished floors, bright crystals lighting the corridors, and thorn turrets guarding the entrance. The wall hangings seem clean and new, and the water in the reflecting basins is clear and cold.

Takena brings us before an old man in Shaper robes, and bows before him. "Shaper Zakary, an envoy from the Shaper Council has arrived."

Zakary is a tired, aged man, looking like he has done this job for so long that the only expression he can remember any longer is a demoralized one. He hunches over in his throne-like chair as if the weight of the world has been bearing down upon his shoulders for decades. He waves his hand to dismiss Takena, and turns his attention to Shanti, barely sparing a glance at me and Gellert.

"Zakary," Shanti says, pulling out a scroll from her pack and handing it over to him. "I'm here to check in on the progress and future of this colony. And I am not pleased at what I have seen so far."

"I fear I have little in the way of good news to offer you," Zakary says, taking the scroll and not even bothering to look at it. "Barzahl is dead. The colony is going poorly, but with work, it might still succeed. You can return to the Shaper Council and tell them that."

"I'm sorry to hear about Barzahl, but I'm afraid that isn't good enough. I'm going to need more information than that. I'll need to look around and see how things are going here for myself."

"Of course," Zakary says. "But since the area is dangerous and we have been having some problems with rogues of late, I will have my guards escort you. For your own safety and protection, of course. I would not want anything unfortunate to happen to an envoy from the Shaper Council, after all."

Shanti doesn't look very pleased about that, either, but doesn't say anything, merely fingering her necklace and frowning at him.

"I'll also accommodate you with some quarters, near the road out," Zakary says. "You are most welcome to stay there as long as you wish. Captain Takena can show you to an unoccupied dwelling." He gestures vaguely at the guard captain. "I'm certain that you will appreciate the opportunity to rest after your long journey."

"Thank you," Shanti says insincerely. "I will go and settle in. I appreciate the assistance." She gives a slight bow toward Zakary and goes to follow Takena out.

Takena leaves us in a rather dusty, small building as close to the customs gate as he can manage. It's as far as he can put us away and still have us actually be in the colony proper.

Shanti glances around the place and just rolls her eyes dismissively, and then flops down heavily in a chair, without even bothering to brush the dust off of it first. "Well, that was useless."

"Could it possibly be anymore obvious that they're hiding something?" Gellert says with a snort.

"It's that obvious," Shanti says, smirking and fingering her necklace. "This could be a problem. And my orders tell me to find Barzahl."

"You don't think he's dead?" I say.

"I think we are being lied to," Shanti says. "And it's entirely too convenient that Barzahl would be dead, and we'd be shuffled off and made to go away to avoid giving any further scrutiny into this colony."

"What are we going to do now?" I say. "Zakary sounded like he wanted to keep a close eye on us."

"No, he wanted to keep a close eye on _me_ ," Shanti points out. "You two? You're an apprentice and an outsider mage. He won't likely be able or willing to spare the guards to watch _your_ every move. You'll be underestimated, and may be able to get people to talk where I can't."

" _Now_ I can be useful?" Gellert says with a broad smirk.

"Now you can be useful," Shanti says, smirking right back at him. "I'll see if I can manage to slip out and get away from my guards, but I want the two of you to go out, talk to people, ask questions, gather information. See if there's anywhere that they particularly don't want you to go, and find out what they're hiding. Report back to me if you should find anything. Anything at all."

"Understood," I say. "We'll do our best."

"Yeah, we're good at getting into places we're not supposed to be and finding out things people don't want us to know."

"Gellert!" I say, glaring at him.

"You know, Gellert," Shanti says in amusement. "Tell you what. You do a good enough job at this and prove yourself to me, and I might just see about convincing them to let you be an Agent after all. Maybe. If you do really, really well."

"Hmm," Gellert says, and a broad grin slowly spreads across his face. "I'll see what I can do."

"See that you do," Shanti says. "And be careful, both of you. It would be very easy for Zakary to arrange for an accident if you start to get too close to something that he doesn't want you to find out."

"Could he really get away with that?" I ask.

"If he managed to make it look sufficiently like an accident, he could even likely get away with doing away with _me_ ," Shanti says, shaking her head a little. "It would be months before the Shaper Council realized that we weren't coming back, and sent someone else. Plenty of time to hide any evidence of foul play. And the next person might not be so determined to get to the bottom of things, and just take Zakary's words at face value."

"We'll be careful," I say. And by being careful, I mean that I'll make sure to have Gellert stun me regularly so that I don't have to repeat several hours if something unfortunate happens. In fact, before heading out, we head into the back room, ostensibly to put down some of the supplies we've been carrying around, and I get him to do just that.

Gellert and I head out to take a look around the town. It seems like everyone is short on supplies, and having problems with rogues. The mines have been closed down, the farmland overrun, many serviles killed, and no one knows where they're coming from, even though they've been infesting the area for several months now. The most we could learn about Barzahl is that he and Zakary used to go out to the northwest to perform experiments, and that one day, Zakary simply came back alone and said that Barzahl had died.

"Rogues suddenly appearing where there hadn't been any before," I murmur aside to Gellert. "And keeping coming back no matter how many have been killed? This is starting to sound familiar."

"Sucia Island?" Gellert says, raising an eyebrow.

"We need more information. And don't speak that name too loudly. They just might recognize it."

"Wouldn't the quickest way to find that out be to go and ask Zakary about it directly, and then go back and erase the conversation if need be?"

"I'm not going to bother Tom and Cassie with repeated deaths if it's not necessary," I hiss. "And besides, this is all just conjecture at this point."

"Fine, fine. If you insist, then we'll do this the hard way."

Our next stop is a return to the Shaping warren. If there's something being hidden here, there are plenty of places to hide things in a warren like that, and the people most likely to know about it are probably there. I suspect, however, that what's really being hidden is somewhere to the northwest, where these experiments had been being performed. Still, there might be something to be found in here.

I head up to Zakary, intending to ask him a few _discreet_ questions, but before I can say anything, Gellert pipes up with, "Hey, Zakary! What do you know about Sucia Island?"

"Gellert!" I snap.

Zakary's face hardens for a moment, then carefully goes flat and neutral. "I don't know what you are talking about."

I grab Gellert by the sleeve and say, "We're terribly sorry for disturbing you, Shaper. We have--errands to run. Good day."

Zakary glares at us as we go.

Once we're a ways away and alone in a corridor, I hiss at Gellert, "What in the Abyss was that for?"

"He knows something!" Gellert says. "Did you see his expression?"

"And we're no closer to getting real answers than we were before," I say. "And now he'll be on guard against us."

"Whatever," Gellert says offhandedly.

I glare at him. "You are not taking this seriously at all."

"I'm just more willing than you are to use any means that are necessary to accomplish our goals."

I just shake my head. I'm not going to argue with him anymore about it _here_. Without another word, I continue down the corridor.

Further on, the rooms and tunnels in the back of the warren are rougher and more irregular, perhaps having been built out of natural caves. A sign on the wall indicates that this is the Experiment Hall, where research is carried out. Or at least, where it's supposed to be carried out, when there aren't Shapers doing secret experiments that nobody else seems to know much about.

Beside a pair of essence pools, we find a Shaper with torn robes marked by numerous small burns. He seems nervous, constantly jumping at every noise or movement, including the two of us walking into his lab.

"Ah. Visitors. Welcome to the Drypeak research labs. I am Tyallea."

"Lexen, and Gellert," I introduce us. "What are you working on here?"

"Research," Tyallea replies vaguely. "Very little, of late, however."

"Why is that?" I ask.

"Things have been going poorly, and the rogue attacks have not helped matters any. But efforts have resulted in little enough success even before then, and even before Zakary arrived."

"I don't suppose you could teach us anything, could you?" Gellert asks.

I cast a glare at Gellert again, but to my surprise, Tyallea answers, "Yes, I can. Zakary has given me permission to teach you in some simple spells, for a price. Of course, that price will be higher for the outsider mage, and restricted to spells only and no Shaping arts."

Gellert was already digging around in his bag of holding before Tyallea even finished. He dumps a bag full of coins and a handful of gemstones in front of Tyallea. "Teach me everything you're permitted to, then."

Tyallea seems torn between scolding him for his abrupt and disrespectful tone, and not really caring and just taking the money. The money winds up winning out, however. "Certainly."

He proceeds to give Gellert quick lessons in a number of minor, but useful, spells. Although he's teaching both of us, he's mostly ignoring me, and I'm just watching. Probably because I'm a Guardian -- he most likely assumes that I'm not going to be interested or as capable with these sorts of spells. However, when he asks us to demonstrate that we've got it down, I'm quite perfectly able to cast them.

"I'm surprised. Most Guardians I've seen don't have much aptitude for magic beyond simple blessing magic."

"I would be loath to neglect any area of my studies," I say.

Gellert and I move on, poking around the back of the research area. There are Shaping platforms and equipment, and several creations of various sorts standing around in alcoves waiting for orders. In one back room, Gellert spots a book on a pedestal and immediately practically launches himself toward it.

"Ooh! An actual Shaping book!"

I smirk. "Always that each to get your hands on things you aren't supposed to?"

"Well, hey, Shanti did tell us to investigate..."

"I doubt that was quite what she meant, but _I'm_ certainly not going to turn you in. The Shapers here are probably expecting _me_ to be keeping an eye on you or something."

I go over to take a look at the book myself. It appears to be a basic book on fire creations, particularly fyoras. As we're reading, however, there's a slithering sound behind us. The artilas that we'd ignored are moving and hissing at us in a hostile manner.

"Those damned acid worms did _not_ just go rogue, damn it," Gellert mutters.

The artilas attack us, and I take a glob of acid to the face, and another to the chest. Crying out in pain, I collapse even as I try to get off a healing spell, and failing to concentrate enough to manage it.

* * *

I wake in the back room of our house in Drypeak with a groan, rubbing my face compulsively. "Have I ever mentioned that I hate acid?"

"That was no accident," Gellert says, scowling.

"Either he was annoyed at you for reading the book, or he'd put the artilas there to protect it... or Zakary wanted us out of the way."

"Well, no harm done," Gellert says brightly. "And hey, now we don't have to pay Tyallea for the lesson, either!"

I smirk. "I suppose there's that. But don't get into the habit of doing that to get out of paying anyone for lessons."

"Why not?" Gellert says. "It's a brilliant idea! It's a pity I hadn't thought of it sooner."

I roll my eyes and let the matter drop. It would certainly be _convenient_ , but I'm still not particularly keen on intentionally resetting a day just for something like that.

Thinking about the deaths of serviles due to rogues that I'd heard about before, I head over to the building where the serviles and kept, and approach the woman there looking after them.

"Are you the servile keeper here?" I ask.

"Yes, Shaper. I am Keeper Thossila. How can I help you?"

"Have you been having many problems with the serviles lately?" I say. "I've heard that some of them have been killed by rogues."

"Oh, there have been no end of problems," Thossila says. "This environment is terrible for them, the poor things. They don't like it here, and I often have to discipline them to get them to work. But for the most part, a missed meal here and there or some time in isolation or restraints is sufficient to get them to fall in line."

I clench my fist involuntarily in rage. I've normally been better at controlling my reactions, especially considering how mild this is for the usual treatment of serviles. But the mention of Sucia Island and the presence of rogues has been bringing back old memories and thoughts long buried. Still, I calm myself quickly. I must not say anything. Not yet.

"Of course," I say in a careful, level tone.

"Three of the serviles got lost in the mines in the last attack," Thossila says. "I don't know if they're even still alive. The poor dears must be trapped in there, scared and hungry, penned in by rogues and unable to get out."

"If I'm ever in the mines, I'll see if I can get them out of there, or let you know if I run across their bodies," I say.

"Thank you, Shaper. It would be good to know, one way or another."

"Have you had any other problems?" I ask.

"Sometimes I think they're looking at me strangely... Like they're smarter than they ought to be, or something. It's really quite unnerving, actually. Could you, perhaps, talk to the serviles, and see if there's one there that's... too smart? Perhaps being a bad influence to the other serviles?"

I frown thoughtfully. "I'll check it out."

Smart serviles, huh? This could prove interesting. Curious, I go to talk to each of the serviles one by one, carefully poking at each one verbally to see if any of them might be "rogue". One of them, I notice, replies more articulately than the others.

"I am well, Shaper. I am happy to serve."

Something about her tone sounds a little odd. And more than a little familiar. "Well, in that case, I've got some work for you to do. We were given quarters at the edge of town, but they're all dirty inside. Come and clean this up for me."

"Of course, Shaper. I will get to work immediately."

I point her off in the direction of the house we're staying in. Before returning there, I stop and tell Thossila, "The serviles all seem normal to me. You're probably just imagining things."

"That's a relief," Thossila says. "Thank you for taking the time to look into it."

As we head back toward the house, Gellert says to me quietly, "You think there was something strange about that servile, or did you really just want the house cleaned?"

"We'll see," I say.

When we get back, the servile has already gotten started working. Shanti glances up at us as we come in, and says, "Ah, you're back. Have you learned anything?" She's completely ignoring the servile's presence, as if no more worthy of notice than the chair. Nobody ever sees serviles. I have to wonder what all the serviles see.

"They've been having rogue problems for months," I say. "We'll look into it more in the morning." I glance at the servile and say, "Servile, can you get the back room first? It's even worse back there."

"As you wish, Shaper." She goes over into the back room. Gellert and I head into the other room behind her and shut the door.

" _Muffliato_ ," I mutter. She might just be an ordinary servile. But if she's what I suspect she is, I don't want Shanti to find out. Not right now. "Servile. What is your name?"

"I am called Sencia, Shaper," she replies while wiping the floor.

"Sencia?" I say, my eyes widening, immediately perking up in interest and going over to grab her shoulder. "Sencia of Vakkiri? Sencia of the Awakened?"

Gellert snickers in amusement. "So much for subtlety."

Sencia stares at me in surprise. "Y--Yes, Shaper, that is me. How did you know?"

"Sencia!" I say in glee, hugging her impulsively.

Gellert laughs aloud. The poor servile seems very, very confused. I release her, and she just stands there blinking at me for several moments.

"Do you know me, Shaper?"

"I know you, but you don't know me," I say. "It's complicated. Anyway, by way of introduction, I'm Lexen, and this is Gellert. Don't call me 'Shaper', please. Alright? I'm just another person."

"Just another person, he says," Gellert says with a soft snort. "So who is this servile, anyway? I take it you recognize her? Was she from Sucia Island?"

"I didn't think there was anyone outside of Drypeak who knew about that," Sencia says.

I chuckle softly and lean back against the wall, grinning like a fool. I'd been suspecting more and more that something was up here, and now I have proof before my eyes. "This changes everything."

"So, does this mean we can kill Shanti now?" Gellert asks.

"Gellert!" I snap, rolling my eyes. "Anyway. Sencia. Maybe you could tell us what happened? How did you get here? What's going on here?"

"I-- I suppose I can tell you what I know, Lexen," Sencia says hesitantly. "Although I'm still not sure how you know about me."

"I'll explain later," I say. "I promise."

Sencia gives a nod. "Very well. Five years ago, Zakary and Barzahl came to Sucia Island. They were apparently sent by the Shapers to clean things up there, but instead, they stole secrets, they snuck out serviles and drayks, and quietly brought us here. It was a long and hard journey, and many of us died along the way."

"I'm sorry for your losses," I say. "I have to ask... did Rispy make it?"

"Rispy?" Sencia says, nodding. "Yes, he's here. He's probably in Medab. That's our town, our free land, beyond this valley, in the mountains to the northeast."

"Rispy's alive," I say, beaming. "That's great. You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that news."

"You are... clearly not a Shaper who is loyal to their cause, are you," Sencia says.

"No, I'm not. I'm not afraid to say so. Not to you, and not now. I've another question for you. Do you know what happened to Trajkov?"

"Trajkov?" Sencia says.

"The leader of the Sholai who had landed on Sucia Island by mistake," I explain. "Was he killed by the Shapers?"

"I don't believe that any of the outsider humans were able to leave the island alive," Sencia says.

"Ah," I say, my smile fading a bit. "That's a pity. I had hoped otherwise, but I can't say that I'm surprised."

"How do you know about all this, Lexen?" Sencia asks. "What is your connection to this all?"

I let out a heavy sigh, but I can't help but feel my smile return. Although I'd hoped to see Trajkov, this is still glad news indeed. It means an end to masks is in sight. It means I can join up with the Rebellion once again, and the walls will come down.

"I'll try to explain this," I say. "I went to Sucia Island once. But it was in another lifetime, and the events of that lifetime didn't play out the same way in this one."

"I don't understand," Sencia says, frowning.

"Imagine, if you would," I go on. "What if you could go back to a moment in your life -- a pivotal moment -- and make a different choice? Choose a different path? I have... a unique power. I can go back in time, into the past, and make different choices."

"Are you saying that you chose not to come to Sucia Island?"

"I would have come, and gladly, don't get me wrong. But there were things I wanted to learn that only the Shapers could teach me. I didn't know how things on Sucia Island would go without my presence there, but I hoped that the serviles there would make it."

"And now?" Sencia says.

"And now... I'm overjoyed to learn that they did, that they're here, that you're here. And now that I've learned what I set out to learn, I can join with them once again, and fight for the sake of freedom for all beings."

Sencia looks at me thoughtfully for a long moment. "Your story is a strange one, and I'm not certain what to think. But it gladdens me to hear you say that you are on our side." She looks around nervously. "I should... finish my cleaning and go. Before the other Shaper suspects something."

I give a nod. "Very well. Be well, Sencia."


	7. Reunited

"So. Where does this leave us?" asks Gellert once we're alone again. 

"Much as I'd like to go rushing out to join up with the rebels right now, that might be rash at this point," I say. "We still need more information." 

Gellert snorts softly. "You always want more information. Why do we need to hide any longer?" 

"At the very least, we should keep low until we have found and made contact with the rebels, and not just their plant in the town," I say. "We know what's going on now, but Zakary and his lackeys don't know that we know." 

"Oh, we are not getting into the whole 'I know that you know that I know that you know' bullshit," Gellert says with a groan. 

"I'd like to contact the others and get them here as soon as possible, though," I say. "Tom and Cassie wouldn't want to be left out of this." 

"And kill Shanti," Gellert adds. 

I sigh. "She could prove to be a liability. But I don't want to have to kill her." 

"You're soft, Lexen. Or do you think she's hot?" He smirks. 

"Gellert!" I roll my eyes. "I'm contacting Tom and Cassie now." I dig around in my bag to pull out my pine wand. I haven't brought it out much on this world, but I'm not strong and skilled enough to cast a Patronus Charm without it. I focus upon the thought of the rainbow after the storm. " _Expecto Patronum_." A shimmering, translucent duck emerges from the tip of the wand, and I tell it, "Go find Cassiopeia Black. Tell her, we need to talk." 

The duck nods to me, and then vanishes. I wonder how far away Tom and Cassie are, and how long the spirit animals might take to travel between us. It doesn't wind up taking all that long, however, before Cassie's silvery raven appears in front of me and speaks in her voice. 

"Message received. We are in private and won't be overheard. What's going on?" 

I send back my duck with a reply, "I've made contact with a rebel servile from Sucia Island. Don't have much information right now, but things seem to be getting interesting around the Drypeak Mountains. Gellert is with me. Do you want to join us here?" 

A few minutes later, the raven returns and says, "Of course! Heh, you should have heard what Tom said in response to that. Where's Drypeak? If it's a long way out there, we can meet you in Nodye Coast and you can Side-Along Apparate us over." 

I reply with, "It's in the middle of nowhere. We'll Apparate you over. Meet you on the beach outside the Shaper warren in twenty minutes." 

"We'll be there," the final response from the raven says simply. 

"So," Gellert says. "When are we going to kill Shanti?" 

"We'll get the others here, and then _talk_ to her," I say firmly. "Come on." 

I head out into the front room. Shanti is still there, fingering her necklace in a nervous habit. She looks up at us as we come out. "Looking to do some nocturnal explorations?" 

"Something like that," I say. 

"I was planning on doing a bit of that myself. I think I might be able to slip away from the guards in the dark, and take a look around this area." 

"Could you hang around here a little while longer, please?" I ask. "There's something I'm going to need to talk to you about, but there's something I need to go and do first." 

"Well, that was vague," Shanti says. "Getting practice in for being a full Shaper?" 

I smirk. "Sorry. I'll be back shortly." 

Gellert and I head outside. It's cool and dark out tonight, and the stars are bright in the clear sky. The town is quiet and still, but for the movements of a few serviles still out working. I don't want to take any chances, however. I lead us behind a building and out of sight before Apparating over to the rendezvous point. The beach is empty, which is just as well. No need to complicate things. Cassie and Tom are probably packing or making some quick preparations. 

"I don't know what you think you're going to accomplish, talking to Shanti," Gellert says. "She's a Shaper." 

"I have to try," I say. 

"So you _are_ attracted to her." 

"Don't be ridiculous." 

Gellert snorts. "Why? She seems like your type." 

"Don't start," I say, rolling my eyes. 

"Still. She's a Shaper. A good, loyal Shaper. Nothing you say to her is going to help. She's set in her ways." 

"Maybe I can find the right thing to say to her." 

"You're welcome to try," Gellert says with a smirk. "I'll even stun you next to an essence pool so you can chat her up again and again until you get it right, if that's what you want to do." 

"Not suggesting wanting to kill her now?" 

"I was going to add that I wanted to kill her every time you fail," Gellert says, grinning wickedly. 

I roll my eyes. "We'll see what happens." 

Tom and Cassie Apparate before us with a pair of soft pops. Cassie practically squeals in delight and throws her arms around me, planting a soft kiss on my lips. Tom is... a little more restrained. He grins in amusement at the sight, and just goes over to clap a hand on Gellert's shoulder. 

"Time to stop pretending and take off the masks?" Tom says. 

"Ooh, the Shapers have been driving me up the wall," Cassie says, releasing me. "Those poor, poor serviles! Come on, let's go already! I'm eager to meet these rogue serviles you've been talking about." 

"You're a pureblood, Cassie," Gellert says. "I never would have expected to hear you express sympathy for the local equivalents of house-elves." 

"Then you obviously don't know me very well after all," Cassie says, raising her nose disdainfully. "I didn't even agree with my family when they cast out my own brother for being a Squib. But I kept quiet for the sake of appearances. I'm tired of doing things for the sake of appearances. Let's _go_!" 

"Alright, alright," I say, smiling broadly. I'd missed Cassie. "No more delays. Gellert, aim for the hall with the essence pools just outside the customs gate." 

I Apparate Cassie over, and Gellert brings Tom. 

"What are you going to do?" Cassie wonders, frowning a little. 

"It might have been better to delay your coming here, but it's not like it would have helped," I say. "You see, I'm here with my mentor, an Agent by the name of Shanti. She's probably pretty set in the Shaper ways, but I don't want to have to kill her. Actually, she's not so bad, so far as Shapers go." 

"He has a crush on her," Gellert stage-whispers. 

"Gellert!" I snap. 

Tom just snickers in amusement and doesn't comment. "So what's the situation here?" 

I give them a rundown of what I know about the circumstances in Drypeak. Which admittedly isn't all that much. I describe my encounter with Sencia and repeat what she told me. 

"How about the three of us go and try to learn something more while you talk to Shanti?" Tom suggests. "You don't need to worry about 'saving' the fact that you've gotten us here, either. Since we've seen the place, we can just Apparate back here again readily." 

"Alright," I say. "We'll be popping back to this afternoon again if it's necessary." 

"Don't worry about _us_ ," Gellert says. "It's a lot easier to get information when you don't need to worry about the person remembering the questions you asked later." 

"This is true," Tom agrees. 

I snort softly. "And right, if you want to learn some new spells, go see Tyallea in the Shaper warren. He'll probably teach a bit about creations, too, but I didn't ask." 

"Good luck, Lexen," Cassie says. 

"Ugh, don't wish me luck," I mutter. I kiss her, and kiss Tom as well, and head back to the house where I left Shanti. 

Shanti hasn't moved since I left her there, although she looks somewhat impatient, and a little amused, really. "There you are. So, what did you wish to speak with me about, apprentice?" 

I take a seat in front of her. "This is going to be... difficult." I let out a heavy breath. "And if I have miscalculated, then my life is forfeit. But I will accept those consequences." 

Shanti frowns. "What is it? What have you done?" 

My mind spins, wondering what I should tell her, and more importantly, _how_. How can I possibly make her see my point of view? It seems like a hopeless prospect. 

"Well, for starters, I'm not quite what I appear to be. And I'm older than I look. My companions and I came from another world, and aged ourselves down to seem as children in order to be accepted into Shaper training." 

Shanti blinks at me. "That... seems awfully far fetched." 

I demonstrate for her by aging myself down to a child, clothes and armor hanging loosely and ridiculously on my small body, then up to an elderly man, before returning to the age I started off at. 

"That's... Well. I see..." 

"My companions aren't actually my siblings," I say. "And we didn't think the Shapers would take us for training if we appeared to be adults." 

"This is true... and for good reason," Shanti says. "Children tend to learn things more readily, and can be integrated into our ways more easily. So, wait, the one who called himself your father and then disappeared afterward...?" 

"Was actually me," I say. 

Shanti fingers her necklace to the point where I think she's going to cut her finger on one of the fangs. "I would not have believed this story if I hadn't seen it for myself. Well then. Rightly or wrongly, you've gotten yourself into the Shapers. Now what are you going to do? Where does your loyalty really lie?" 

She's taking this better than I might have hoped for, but the real sticking point is going to be the most difficult part. "I _am_ from another world. I'm not one of the peoples that were oppressed by the Shapers. Not the wood folk or the Dera nomads or whoever else. But... my loyalty never lay with the Shapers." 

"The truth comes out at last?" Shanti says. "You've done a good job of hiding it so far. A much better job than Gellert has been doing. So, if it's not with the Shapers, then who? And do you intend to betray the Shapers, then?" 

"First and foremost, myself and my companions," I say. "For their sake, all the world can burn, for all I care." 

Shanti gives a terse nod. "That's an honest motivation, at least. But you still haven't answered what I really want to know. Do you intend to betray the Shapers?" 

I tap my fingers on the table and avert my eyes. "If I say yes, then my life is forfeit. But to deny it would be a lie." 

There's the soft movement of a blade, a flash out of the corner of my eye, but I don't move, I don't even flinch. I expected this coming. I look up at Shanti as she holds her wicked curved blade to my throat. 

"And yet those are not the eyes of someone who is about to die," Shanti says in an a tone as sharp as her sword. "You are not the least bit afraid. What are you playing at, Lexen? What is your game? Is this some sort of trick?" 

"No trick," I assure her. "If you think that I deserve to die, then do it. I won't stop you. It's the least that I deserve for oathbreaking." 

"I see. So that's guilt I see." Shanti gives a nod of understanding. "Yet you speak as though you have already broken your oaths." 

"I have," I say. "I allowed a rogue to live today. If you do not kill me now, then I will join the rebels to the northwest and do anything in my power to bring down the Shapers." 

"And you can still choose to do otherwise," Shanti says. "Why are you telling me this?" 

"Just because I feel guilty for oathbreaking doesn't mean I feel that this is the wrong course of action," I say. 

"And yet you're sitting there as if I'm poised to slice a loaf of bread. Something's not right here. And you're going to tell me what it is." 

I give a quirk of a grin. "You're not a fool, certainly. I didn't want to tell you this part. I wanted to see what you would do. But there it is. I'm immortal. I _cannot_ die. It may seem like I do from your perspective, but from mine, it's nothing more than an inconvenience." 

Shanti stares at me for a long moment, and then lowers her sword. "Fine. I'll believe that. I don't quite understand, but I'll believe it." 

"Meaning, if you kill me, I stay dead. At least in this timeline. I'll just wind up in another timeline, where I'm not dead. And I can do something else, that doesn't lead to me dying." 

"This is the most insane thing I've ever heard," Shanti mutters. "So we might kill you a thousand times, but if you survive even once, from your perspective, you still win?" 

"Pretty much, yeah." 

"That's ridiculously absurd," Shanti says. 

"It's true, though." 

"I didn't argue that it wasn't. I just said it's ridiculously absurd anyway. You can't fail!" 

I snort softly. "Oh, I can fail, alright. In all my lifetimes, I've never actually gotten to a point that I'd even consider 'winning'." 

The only time that I'd consider a victory was when I'd managed to kill Voldemort's resurrection in the graveyard. It wasn't until a later life that I learned about the Horcruxes, and discovered that I probably hadn't done more than inconvenience him anyway. 

"Regardless of what you might be, I still can't allow you to rebel against the Shapers." 

"That's fine. Just kill me, then, like you were going to, and I won't bother you again." 

"You're insane," Shanti says with a sigh. "And here I was thinking you were such a promising apprentice. Begone, then. I don't want to have to deal with anymore insane rebel immortals ever again." 

"Farewell, Shanti," I say with a smile, and she slices my life away with one stroke. 

* * *

"No fair," Gellert says. "I didn't get to kill Shanti!" 

I grumble and stand up. "That's not my fault." 

"I'm totally blaming you, anyway." 

The two of us head out into the main room. Gellert reaches into his bag, and I cast him a sidelong glare. "Don't even." 

"You're no fun," Gellert says with a snort. 

"Bah," I say. "Go on, already. You can have your fun another time, damn it." 

Gellert shrugs. "Fine." He heads out of the building. 

Shanti stares at the door, and then gives me an odd look. "What was that all about?" 

"Gellert wants to kill you." 

Shanti blinks, and then laughs aloud. "Are you kidding me?" 

"No," I say flatly. 

Shanti blinks again. "Does he seriously think he could take me?" 

"Yes. And yes, he could. He's a Dark Lord that's well over a century old with more power than I know about. And he's a little miffed about you making him run errands." 

Shanti stares at me. She doesn't even bother touching her necklace. She clearly has no idea what to think of this. "What are you talking about?" 

"I've been trying to convince him not to kill you," I say, sighing. "But it's going to be a bit of a difficult matter. It's probably just going to wind up with one of us dead." 

Shanti frowns. "You really aren't joking, are you." 

"No. I'm deadly serious. Gellert and I intend to join the rebels, and he wants to kill you before we go." 

I think this is probably about the worst way I can think of to go about this discussion. Shanti must think that I've just gone mad and I'm babbling nonsense, or something. 

"Sorry. Let's start over," I say. 

"What rebels?" Shanti asks. 

"There are rebels out toward the northwest. I don't know the specifics yet, but there are rogue serviles here, and Zakary and Barzahl brought them here. Barzahl is very likely still alive, and very likely working on secrets that were Barred by the Shapers two hundred years ago." 

Shanti frowns and fingers her necklace. "What sort of secrets?" 

"Precise genetic manipulation," I say. "They learned how to alter specific things about a creature, or even a human. They made crystal canisters that a human could use to become more powerful. The person absorbs the liquid inside, and suddenly they could cast a spell, or make a creation, or their body was tougher or faster than it was before. Dangerous, dangerous magic. It also had a tendancy to slowly make a canister addict go insane." 

"That's... oh, yes, that's bad..." Shanti murmurs, twining her fingers through her necklace absently. "You don't sound like you approve, though. Didn't you just say that you intended to join them?" 

"I seek to fight for the cause of freedom for all beings," I say. "Not the cause of blind madness and destruction." 

"You are... misguided, but I can appreciate the sentiment," Shanti says. "You know that Shaper secrets must be tightly controlled in order to prevent the very madness and destruction of which you speak." 

"It's a matter of debate, and not one I'm really concerned about at the moment. I'll get my hands on whatever secrets I want. I don't really care who _else_ has them. I am, however, concerned about the treatment of serviles and other intelligent creations. But, I'm not going to convince you that they're no less people than any human, I don't think." 

"They're--" 

"You might prove me wrong, but I think I'm probably just wasting time and effort here. You're a good, loyal Shaper. And if I showed you free, peaceful serviles who just want to be treated with dignity and respect, all you will see is a band of rogues who need to be exterminated. I'm right, aren't I?" 

"You--" 

"And I knew from the moment I met them that _those_ serviles were obviously deluded and didn't know what Shapers were really like. I knew that Shapers would never allow them to live in peace. Would never give them a modicum of respect, or treat them as anything other than potentially dangerous rogues. I knew that there could be no freedom for serviles, for creations, for outsiders, even for other Shapers, without force. No peace can be won without war. No freedom earned without bloodshed." 

"But--" 

"And it's all because of people like _you!_ " I snap, pointing my finger at her accusingly. "People who refuse to believe that there might be another way. Who won't budge even an inch from what they think, from what they've been _told_. Who won't stop to think for _themselves_. They might even have been good people, deep down, until they bought into everything that the Shapers told them. All the brainwashing. All the molding of thoughts and beliefs from an early age in order to make you an ideal Shaper. A good, loyal Shaper. Just another pawn in their game. Just another thing to be controlled! And who controls _them_? Who does the Shaper Council answer to? Absolute power corrupts absolutely. There are no easy answers. But don't let anyone else choose your answers for you. Not them. Not me. Not anyone." 

Shanti stares at me in silence for a long moment after I'm done with my rant, her fingers clenched around her necklace and not moving. I'm panting softly after that impassioned speech. I hadn't really intended to yell at her like that. 

Finally, Shanti says, "Do you really believe that anyone can attain victory over the Shaper Council?" 

"Absolutely," I reply without hesitation. "Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not in my lifetime, but the Shaper Council _will_ fall. Already now, something big has slipped through their grasp. You cannot unring a bell. Something has gone beyond their control, and will never be under their control again." 

Shanti looks at me for a bit longer, and then shakes her head. "You're young, Lexen--" 

"I'm actually thirty-eight." 

"--and I hadn't taken you for one prone to delusions. You seemed to be a promising apprentice, at first. But I see that you have doubts now. You should be sure to make them fade, or life will become very hard for you, very quickly." 

"I've been hiding my true thoughts for ten years, Shanti. I have not forgotten every injustice that I have witnessed at the hands of the Shapers. Now, however, is the chance to finally do something about it. And if you believe that your path is right and just, then I fear that we are doomed to see one another only on the other side of a battlefield." 

Shanti slowly pulls out her sword. "I see that I'm not going to sway you from this foolish path." 

"And I'm not going to sway you from yours," I say with a sigh. "I don't want to have to kill you." 

"What makes you think you can kill me?" 

"I don't know if I can or not," I say with a shrug. "But if one would fight, one must be prepared to kill. Dying is easy." 

The door suddenly opens, and Gellert steps inside, wand in hand and pointed at Shanti. "You don't need to worry about that, Lexen. If you're too soft to do the deed, then I will do it myself." 

Shanti turns toward Gellert and brings her sword to bear, channeling forth magic to protect herself and speed her actions. But she's too slow in casting it. 

" _Avada Kedavra!_ " 

A flash of green light emerges from Gellert's wand and strikes Shanti full on before she even knows what hit her. The Agent collapses to the floor, dead still in the blink of an eye. 

"Gellert..." I say in a low tone. 

"Feel free to go back and try again if you want," Gellert says, shrugging and putting his wand away. "I'm satisfied now." 

I let out a heavy sigh, staring at Shanti's lifeless body and empty eyes. Cassie and Tom step into the building behind Gellert. 

"We-- We cleared out the mines and managed to save those poor serviles that got trapped in there," Cassie says hesitantly. "We explored the place a bit-- err, before the reset... but when we found the serviles, they were already dead. We were able to get there earlier this time and save them." 

I can't find any words. Cassie's report just flies through my head, barely received and acknowledged in my numb mind. I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do. I just think that I'm many years too late to have hope of bringing Shanti onto my path. Perhaps this is just as well. The simplest solution. The easiest solution. But that doesn't make it feel like the right solution. 

Sometimes there are no right answers. Killing Dumbledore wasn't right, but it was necessary. At least I like to think it was necessary. And yet I still chose to do it. I will not deny the power of choice by claiming that anything needed to be or needed to happen. There are always choices. I can go back and choose to try again. I can try to convince her. I can warn her and let her go, only to meet her on the battlefield later... 

I lean down to Shanti's body and remove the fang necklace from around her neck, and slip it away into my bag of holding. 

"Ah. Good idea," Gellert says. "Loot the body and see if she was carrying any valuables or magic items." 

"Fuck off, Gellert," I mutter, and stalk out the door.


	8. Rebels and Rogues

I don't look back at the house, striding out into the streets of the settlement of Drypeak. There's a fury in my eyes that makes the townsfolk shrink away, serviles cowering and quickly finding something else to do than be in my path. 

I'm not really sure where I'm going, but my feet find themselves striding toward the Shaping warrens. I don't even know why or what I intend to do. That's bad. I'm just moving, running on pure emotion, with my mind miles away. 

I find myself standing in front of Zakary. He looks at me wearily and says, "I'm certain that most of my business is with your master, but--" 

"Shanti is dead." 

Zakary looks more surprised than upset by the news. "Is she?" 

"I'm sure you're entirely broken up by that," I say with a soft snort. "And I'm not about to go running back to the Shaper Council with what you've done." 

"What I've done?" Zakary repeats. 

"There's no need to play dumb with me any longer, Zakary," I say. "I know all about Sucia Island. I might not know all the details of what's been going on here yet, but I'm guessing that Barzahl isn't as dead as you claim he is, either." 

"You should show more respect to your elders, apprentice," Zakary warns. 

"Stow it," I snap. "I don't have the patience for this right now." I pin him with a dangerous glare. "I honestly don't give a damn what you've done or haven't done out here. But don't interfere with me or mine, and I won't interfere with you." 

"Are you threatening me?" Zakary says incredulously. 

"I'm warning you. Or do you think you'll fare better than Shanti?" 

" _You_ killed Shanti?" 

Gellert strolls in and says, "No. I did." Tom and Cassie are right behind him. 

"You murdered an envoy of the Shapers?" Zakary says, narrowing his eyes at him. "And you admit to it?" 

"Don't act like you wouldn't have done the same thing given the chance," I say. "You just would have disposed of the body more quietly. Right now, however, _I don't care_." 

What's he going to do? Kill me? I feel wild and mad when I simply don't care whether I live or die. I'm becoming insane and reckless. I don't like it. I need to calm down. I need to get control of myself. 

"And who are these others?" Zakary says. "I was unaware that Shanti had brought more than one apprentice Shaper." 

"They are my companions. Zakary, I'm making you an offer. We'll just go off and leave you alone to do whatever it is you're doing here, and won't go back and tell the Shaper Council about it. And you let us do as we please as well." 

Zakary stares at me for a long moment, a variety of interesting expressions crossing his face, as if gauging just what to make of me and how much of a threat I might be. Finally, he seems to decide that it's not worth antagonizing me. "Fine. Do what you will. I won't do anything to stop you. But don't expect any assistance from me." 

"I didn't expect any in the first place," I say. 

"There could, however, be great rewards in store for you if you assisted me, on the other hand," Zakary says, his lips quirking faintly. "Magic items. Training. Prestige." 

Now he's trying to bribe me? I'm not too fond of him. Something about him has just rubbed me the wrong way. But I don't care to refuse him outright, for the moment. "I will consider it. For now, my companions and I will need to go and gather more information." 

"As you wish. My offer will remain open to you." 

The four of us turn and head back out of the Shaping warren. I'm a little calmer now, but my nerves still feel like lightning. Nonetheless, having all of my friends around is a great comfort to me. I feel whole again for the first time since Gellert was expelled and Tom and Cassie went off for their field work assignment. 

"He's desperate," Tom says quietly as we leave the warren. "He's one man, alone, with few allies, and he'll take any assistance he can get." 

"Forget him," Gellert says with a snort. 

" _Muffliato_ ," Cassie mutters. "You could at least put up a privacy spell first. There are guards and serviles here that might overhear us." 

"Let's just hope none of them are lipreaders," Tom says. 

"Though I don't think Lexen's in a state to care at the moment," Cassie says, turning to give me a look of concern. "Are you alright?" 

"I'm fine," I say. "Thanks. It's good to have you guys with me again." 

"Let's get back to the house and decide upon a plan of action," Tom says. "It will suffice as a headquarters until we can scout out someplace better." 

"What did you do with the body?" I ask. 

"Burned it," Gellert says. "After looting it, of course. Gave Cassie the boots." 

"That was mildly disturbing, you know," Cassie says. 

"Am I correct in guessing that we are not going to be jumping back to make another attempt at whatever it was you were trying to do?" Tom asks. 

"No, we won't," I say, sighing. "I don't like it, but I'll let this stand." 

"You almost seemed to be daring that Shaper to kill you for it," Cassie says. "Were you that upset about your mentor's death?" 

"I'll get over it. I should know better than to get attached to anyone not in our group. And I should have known that convincing her was a hopeless prospect, regardless." 

I step into the house that, just this morning, had been given to Shanti and I for our use during our stay in Drypeak. There's no longer any sign that Shanti was ever here. Gellert was quick and thorough in disposing of the evidence. If it weren't for our coming out and admitting to the murder, it would just look like the Agent had merely disappeared and never come back. 

"So," Cassie says, taking a seat in the chair Shanti was occupying not so very long ago. "Is that going to be our plan of action for the moment? Gathering information?" 

"Zakary and Barzahl used to go out to the northwest to conduct experiments," I comment distantly. "That's the most likely place to look for answers, I think." 

"And what are we going to do with Zakary?" Gellert says. 

"His offer isn't a bad one," Tom says. 

"You'd actually want to work for him?" Gellert says, raising an eyebrow at him. 

"No, I'd want to use him to get whatever advantage I can, and then destroy him should it prove most expedient to do so," Tom replies. 

Gellert give a broad grin maniacally. "And here I thought you weren't a Dark Lord anymore." 

"Please," Tom says, smirking. 

I sigh. "We've already broken our oaths to the Shapers. Those of us who made oaths, anyway. I don't really care to go backstabbing anyone else." 

"You take that far too seriously," Gellert says. 

"Says you," Cassie says with a snort. 

"I'd rather not go joining up with _anyone_ until I know exactly what I'm getting into," I say. "Right now, I still have too many unanswered questions." 

"Fine, exploring it is, then," Tom says lightly. 

"Sencia mentioned someplace called Medab," I say. "And she said Rispy was there. I'd like to find this place, meet the rebel serviles, and meet up with Rispy again..." 

"Rispy... Say, wasn't that the name of the free-born house-elf you kept at Caer Danas for a while?" Cassie says. 

"He's a servile in this world, but otherwise he's very much the same sort of personality. I traveled with him on Sucia Island, and it looks like he's made it to Drypeak." 

"And what do you do if Rispy decides to go against you?" Gellert says. "Are you going to be upset if he needs to be killed, too?" 

"I'm pretty sure that his wishes will coincide with mine," I say. "But I suppose it _is_ five years later than when I met him, and he's gone through events that I have not been a part of in the meantime." 

"Didn't he go against you before?" Tom says. "I believe you mentioned something about that. He sounded particularly troublesome at times." 

"I don't want to have to kill him," I say, sighing. "But I suppose I'll have to accept the possibility." 

"Don't worry," Gellert says with a wicked grin. "I'll do it for you if you're feeling squeamish." 

"You're not helping," I mutter. 

"As amusing as it was to watch you agonize over whether you wanted to fight Shanti or not, the last thing I need is to listen to you angst," Gellert says. 

I smirk. "I was _not_ angsting." 

"You could have fooled me," Gellert says with a snort. "You said it yourself. If you're going to fight, you need to be prepared to kill. And anyone in this world, absolutely anyone beyond the four of us, is _expendable_." 

"Gellert, that's horrible," Cassie murmurs, although not particularly vehemently. 

"He has a point," Tom says. 

"Now, I'm not saying that we need to go on a killing spree or anything," Gellert says. "They might still be useful, after all. At the very least, they might just be useless and not in our way. But anyone that is in our way? Anyone that makes themselves a problem? We have to be prepared to kill. There's no need to hide any longer. There's no need to pretend, no need to suck up to Shapers." 

I let out a heavy breath. "You're right, Gellert. Thanks for putting things in perspective. And do please kick me if I ever do start angsting again." I smirk. "You're a bit more vicious than Draco ever was about it, though." 

"Just so long as you don't start doing drugs or getting drunk constantly," Tom says, folding his arms across his chest. 

"You'll always have us, after all, you know," Cassie says, hugging me. "Never forget that. No matter what happens, everything will be alright so long as we still have each other." 

"And we're stuck together for eternity," Gellert says with a smirk. "More likely we'll get sick of each other before we lose each other." 

"Abyss, I hope not," I mutter. "I hope neither of them happens." 

"Admit it, you're already sick of me," Gellert says. 

"No comment." 

"Let's just get some rest," Cassie says. "It's been a very long day for all of us, I think." 

* * *

I wake in the morning to the comforting presence of Tom and Cassie. How did I ever live without them? I'm a very fortunate man, I think. There is nothing in the universe that I have worth complaining about, so long as I have them. Tom is already up, working on shaping a fyora. I watch for a few moments in fascination as the red lizard takes form before me. 

"What are you going to call it?" I ask. 

"Fyora," Tom says. "Or perhaps 'hey, you', if I'm not feeling generous." 

I snicker softly. I get up and get dressed, slip into my chitin armor. I look at my bronze sword, and set it aside. Instead, I pull out the Zarnith from my bag of holding, and admire its shimmering runes, its silver sheen. 

"Where did you get _that_?" Gellert wonders. 

"I brought it from home, actually," I say. "It's just been waiting around in my bag for an opportunity to use it without any needless probing from the Shapers." 

Tom examines the weapon thoughtfully. "I didn't realize that your family owned such a powerful magical artifact." 

"It's been in the family for over a thousand years. They say it was forged by Zarnith Chelseer the First, who trapped his own soul inside so that he might impart his wisdom to future generations." 

"And not be carried around in a bag for ten years," says a deep voice from nowhere, the runes upon the blade flashing a little. 

"Uh... Sorry," I say. 

There comes a chuckling sound. "Oh, not to worry. I'm not upset. Just amused. I would not have stayed sane for this long if I were not patient. I've spent far longer and more dull times sitting around in a basement, forgotten." 

"Hmm, so, is this a Horcrux, then?" Tom wonders. 

"A Horcrux?" Zarnith asks. 

"A piece of your soul placed within an object in order to give you immortality," I explain. 

"No," Zarnith replies. "I did not split my soul. I put myself in here, whole and completely. I did require the assistance of my daughter to accomplish the final stages of it, but I am in here, as full and powerful as I ever was in life." 

"Well, I suppose that's one way to achieve immortality," Tom says. 

Cassie makes a face. "I don't know that I'd be able to stand being a sword." 

"I have seen much bloodshed in my life, but my bearers have generally tried to help and protect rather than conquer and slaughter. But it is not my place to make judgments on my descendants. My power can be used freely by whoever bears this blade. The only safeguard and restriction I put in was that only one of the Dragon's Blood can use my power. To anyone else, I am nothing more than a sharp bit of metal." 

"Interesting," Tom says thoughtfully. "What methods did you use in order to seal yourself into the sword and allow that sort of connection?" 

I snort softly. "You can chat about magical theory with my sword later. We've got work to do at the moment." 

"Ah, right, of course," Tom says. 

"And hopefully more things to kill," Gellert says. 

"Or serviles to rescue," Cassie adds. 

"You don't care what happens to the humans, but you want to help the _serviles_?" Gellert says to her incredulously. 

"The humans can take care of themselves," Cassie says indignantly. "The serviles are all weak and scared like children..." 

I plant a soft kiss on Cassie, and the four of us head out, along with Tom's newly shaped fyora. I tell the guards on the way through the gate that we're looking to deal with the rogue problem, and they just nod to us gratefully and thank us for the assistance. 

We set out into the wiry woods beyond the city gates, and begin hunting rogues. It's mainly fyoras, with a handful of thahds mixed in for variety. One of the big, oafish humanoids manages to get close enough to give me a nasty broken arm. 

"Gah," I mutter. "The stupid injuries that _don't_ kill me are the worst ones." 

"Quit whining and let me fix this," Cassie snaps. "And don't fidget, either." 

Once Cassie's ministries have repaired my arm, we continue on into the forest. There's some artilas back here too, and I have to wince involuntarily the minute I catch the smell of them. I've always hated the damned acid worms. 

There's an old building out in the forest, swarming with rogues. As we go to head inside, I catch a whiff of something else in the air. 

"What are you smelling?" Cassie says, sniffing at the air. "Vinegar?" 

"Spawner," I say quietly. "Be on your guard." 

After dispatching a few more fyoras and thahds, we come to the center of the building. The vinegar smell is strongest here, and in the middle of the room, next to a pool of sickly essence, there's a strange, tentacled creation. As we watch in horror, the spawner spits out another rogue fyora, ready to attack us. Well, Cassie's watching in horror, Gellert looks pretty curious, and Tom just looks a little disgusted. 

"Crude, very crude," Tom says, sending his fyora in to tangle with the rogues. 

There are many, many rogues, however, and this many creations, even weak ones, can be dangerous to try to take on in a frontal assault. We're cutting through them systematically, but one thahd gets in a good shot and crushing my ribs with a heavy punch. I collapse to the ground, gasping for breath. 

"Lexen!" Cassie cries. 

I try to tell her that I'm probably about to die, but all that happens is that I cough up blood instead. And then predictably die. 

* * *

I wake with a gasp. "Well, that sucked." 

"Ugh," Tom mutters as a puddle of essence forms at his feet. "I should not have been in the middle of shaping a creation while you were waking up." 

"Oops," I say. 

"No matter," Tom says. "Let's make as many creations as we can manage before trying to take on that spawner again. We can use them as shields while we destroy the rest with magic." 

"And if _you_ are going to be playing front line cannon fodder," Cassie says, pointing at me. "You're going to need some better armor, or something." 

"Hmm," I murmur. I pull out Zarnith again, and say, " _Protego_ ," waving the sword like a wand. Sure enough, a shimmering field appears around me. The feel of the magic is very different, stronger, but strange. 

"You can use that sword as a wand?" Tom says. "That could be useful." 

Tom and I make a handful of fyoras and thahds. Cassie opts not to, and Gellert doesn't even care to try. With that, we head out for the woods west of Drypeak again. 

We lay waste to the creations with blade and magic, cutting a path to the spawner. Several of our creations die in the process, but we still have enough to get us there, and I'm able to use magic to keep myself safe as well. It's positively embarrassing to get killed by such pathetic creations. I hadn't realized what a difference my augmentations had made. 

This time, we take a slightly different path to the building, and along the way, we come upon a servile hiding scared out in the forest. 

"Servile," I say, approaching the terrified creation. "Are you alright?" 

"I... I am unhurt, Shaper," the servile murmurs. "But I no go back. I never go back. Kill me if you must, but I never, ever go back." 

"I'm not going to make you go back," I say. "I'm here to help you be free." I pull out a loaf of bread from my pack and hand it to him. "Here, you look hungry." 

"Thank you, Shaper," the servile says hesitantly. 

"Be safe and be free. Don't let anyone take that from you." 

We move on, and get into the building through a back way. It's locked, but I aim Zarnith at the door and say, " _Alohomora_." The door opens with a click. 

We slip inside and make it to the spawner, destroying any rogues in our way. As I move to strike the spawner down with Zarnith, Gellert stays my hand. 

"Wait. I want to examine it for a bit first." 

"It's just going to make more rogues while you're looking!" I snap. 

"Then kill them," Gellert says with a snort. "It can only make them so fast, and it would be a simple matter to just strike them down as they're coming out." 

"Lexen's right," Cassie says. "This monstrosity shouldn't be allowed to exist. We should destroy it as quickly as possible." 

"And then see if we can extort the townspeople for solving their problems for them," Tom adds. 

Another fyora slithers out of the spawner's tubes, covered in slime and mucus, and falls to the floor with a plop. I sigh and whack the creation with my sword before it had a chance to attack us. 

"See?" Gellert says. "Just like that. Easy." 

"You aren't seriously considering wanting to make one of these things, are you?" Cassie wonders. 

"No," Gellert says. "I just want to know how it works." 

"I've had more Shaper training than you," Tom says, stepping forward. " _I_ will examine it and figure out how it works, then." 

I sigh, and stand by with my sword ready as they poke and peer at the spawner. I suppose I can't say anything. After all, I did want to learn everything I could, and even if I didn't want to make a spawner myself, the knowledge of their function could be a useful thing, even for fighting them. 

"Although," Tom says after a long moment, three dead fyoras later. "I hate to admit that my own training has been thus far insufficient for any details on this." 

"Can we kill it now?" Cassie says, squirming a little. 

Gellert raises a hand and sets fire to the spawner. The creation makes a hideous squelching sound as it slowly shrivels up and dies. 

With the spawner taken care of, I have Tom stun me so that we don't have to deal with that thing again, before moving on. 

In the woods west of Drypeak, we come across a grove patrolled by a number of nastier creations than we've dealt with so far. Clawbugs skitter along the ground, and vlish float by, waving their tentacles in the air. But they aren't rogues, they aren't hostile, and I relax as I realize that weren't not about to be attacked. 

"A Shaper, out here?" Cassie says, frowning and looking over a nearby obelisk. "Seekers of knowledge are welcome? Well, that sounds good to me." 

In the center of the grove, there's an old stone house, with a small garden growing out front with herbs and vegetables. We head inside and meet an old Shaper woman in threadbare robes. She seems strangely calm, with a sort of serenity that I've never seen in a Shaper. Although she does seem a little surprised at our arrival. 

"Ah. Welcome. It has been some time since I've had visitors. I am Sharon." 

I give out some quick introductions. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sharon." 

"The real question, however, is which side are you on?" Gellert asks, looking at her dangerously. 

"Gellert..." I say in warning. 

"What? It's always good to know whether someone new is likely to be a help or hindrance to you." 

Tom rolls his eyes. "If you were always this blunt, I have to wonder how you ever accomplished half of what they say you did." 

"Please excuse them," Cassie says to Sharon, sighing in frustration. 

"Gellert," I say firmly. "Even if you want to start off by assessing whether you may need to eventually kill anyone you meet, we are _not_ going to go pissing off someone that's got that many vlish and clawbugs running around." 

In my prior visit here, I could have wiped out the lot of them without breaking a sweat. But now, without the canister augmentations, I'm much weaker. We might win, to be sure, but it would be a rough fight. Far more than I'm prepared to deal with needlessly right now. 

Sharon watches us bickering, the calm expression on her face never budging even at the mention of killing her. "Are you quite done?" she asks with a chuckle. 

"I think so," I say. "Let's start over. We're all. Very. Pleased to meet you. Really." 

"I'll go look for valuables," Gellert says, heading for a door leading further into the building. 

"Do stay out of my bedroom, please," Sharon says. "Otherwise, you can go where you like." 

"What are you hiding in your bedroom?" Gellert asks. 

"It's private. I like my privacy." 

"Dildos," I stage-whisper to Gellert. 

"Ah," Gellert says, eyes widening. "I'll stay out of there, then." He leaves the room. 

"Um. Thanks. I think." Sharon looks at me dubiously. 

"So, what are you doing out here?" Cassie asks. 

"Research, primarily," Sharon says. "I like my solitude. But it does so make it difficult to get books sometimes." 

"So you came out here to do research?" I ask. 

"No," Sharon says. "I came out here to hide from the Shaper Council. I was tired of traveling and working for others, and wanted to live a peaceful, quiet life. I went off on a mission to a distant land, and simply did not come back." 

"Well, good on you for taking your freedom, I say," I tell her. "The Council won't be hearing about you from me." 

"You are not precisely loyal Shapers either, I take it," Sharon says. "Well, that is not my concern, although I can appreciate my peace to be continuing for a little while longer, at least. Still, I do not hold out much hope that I will remain hidden for much longer." 

"Perhaps not," I say. "It's impossible to say what may happen in the future. In another year, the world may be embroiled in a bloody war, for all I know." 

"Perhaps," Tom says. "Sharon, do you happen to know what there is to the northwest?" 

Sharon gives a thoughtful nod. "There are dangerous creations in that area. I've sent some of my own to scout it out. There's a tunnel in that direction. I don't know where it might lead. If you were to discover what lies beyond, I would be willing to give you aid in exchange for information." 

"We'll probably be heading that way ourselves soon to check it out," I say. "No promises, though." 

"I understand," Sharon says. 

Gellert comes back into the room and says, "Say, what's that weird book back there?" 

"There's books back there?" Cassie says, immediately rushing off in that direction. 

"How did you ever get sorted into Slytherin?" I wonder, following after her. 

"There's a book written in some language I don't recognize," Gellert says. 

"Ah, yes, that one," Sharon says, leaning into the room behind us. "I've been finding myself wishing that I had easy access to a library out here. But, alas, there it sits, taunting me." 

"Bah," Cassie says, shaking her head and leaving the book alone. "Now you've got me _curious_. This is so very _interesting_!" 

I chuckle softly. "We'll keep an eye out for any information about this language, too." 

We bid Sharon farewell, and turn to head back to Drypeak, as it is getting late, and we're growing tired and hungry.


	9. Crystal Power

The next morning, we head out into the valley west of Drypeak again. Tom and I replaced our lost creations last night so that we wouldn't need to deal with it in the morning in case of death. Making creations is a lot more difficult than it was when the instructions were written in my very being. But I take Tom's hint and don't bother naming my creations or getting too attached to them. They might just wind up dead before the day is out, as well. Possibly multiple times. 

The scattered wandering rogue fyoras and thahds left in the wake of the spawner aren't much match for us, however, and we have little trouble in clearing them out and investigating the western part of the valley. 

In the midst of the rogue-infested Crags, we come upon a farmhold occupied by what appears to be a human man and two serviles. 

"Get back to work!" I hear the man snap as we approach. "I don't care if you're scared of the rogues! Do I need to discipline you again?" 

The servile whimpers and scurries along, carefully tending to the crops and trembling wildly. 

"Those poor things," Cassie murmurs. 

"Shapers!" the farmer says as he sees us coming up to his farm. "You're a sight for sore eyes out here. My name's Braan, and I run this farm. It's good to see that we're finally getting reinforcements out here." 

"We're just a scouting team," I tell him. "But I'm sure we'll be perfectly capable of solving whatever problems this area has been having ourselves." 

"If you say so," Braan says dubiously. "I am certain that in your Shaper wisdom, you would be able to judge the situation and your abilities far better than I would." 

If I were a good and loyal Shaper, I might be annoyed at his tone and his doubts. As it is, I really don't care. 

"Your serviles seem terrified," Cassie says. "We-- We'll be sure to get rid of the rogues. That should make things easier on them. Is there anything else we can do to help?" 

"Ah, perhaps," Braan says. "One of my serviles ran off a while ago. I had three, you know, to help me run the farm and everything. But the rogues have them so scared, and they keep trying to run away. I'd be most grateful if you could find it and bring it back. I think it ran off into a cave west of here. I tracked it there, but it looked dangerous, so I didn't follow it." 

"Right, perhaps this cave bears investigating," I mutter. 

We head off away from Braan's farmstead. Once we're out of earshot, Cassie murmurs, "That poor servile. We'd better make sure he's alright." 

I find it a little funny how completely Cassie has turned around, considering that once, she was the one warning me about showing too much sympathy toward the serviles. But then, she's always been a better actor than me. 

We shortly locate the cave that Braan told us about and step inside. It's a massive complex, filled with radiant glowing crystals, the very air charged and pulsating with energy that washes over me and makes the hair on my arms and neck stand on end. 

Cassie stares at the surroundings in awe. "This place is... beautiful," she breathes. 

"Alright, this place could definitely be dangerous," I say. "Better stun me." 

Tom hits me with a _Stupefy_ , revives me again, and we move on into the cavern. Amidst the crystals in the cave, the energy appears to have formed into tangible shapes. Blobs of mana in a rough form, floating about blindly. 

"These crystals would probably be very valuable..." Gellert says. He walks right up to a gleaming spire and grabs onto an outcropping of shimmering crystal. 

"Gellert!" I warn, peering at the energy shapes that seem to be becoming much more agitated. 

"What?" Gellert says, breaking off a chunk of raw crystal. 

All at once, the four of us are assaulted by angry, howling, magical shapes. When they touch me, I find that my muscles won't respond, and I cannot move. They swarm down upon us, practically tearing us apart. 

* * *

I wake at the entrance to the crystal cavern, getting up again and rubbing my head. I just give Gellert a look, and don't even have to say anything. 

"Alright, I'll leave the crystals alone," Gellert grumbles. 

We go in again, and this time, none of us go anywhere near the crystal formations. The energy things seem content to leave us well enough alone if we don't do anything to anger them, thankfully. 

The four of us make our way through the cave complex, exploring the area. We come upon the body of what appears to be a Shaper, judging by the robes. Gellert bends down to examine it. 

"Hmm," Gellert says. "Might have been dead for a few months, at least. Oh, but these are some nice gloves." He peels a pair of gloves sewn with runes off of the corpse. "Would you like them, dearest Cassiopeia?" 

Cassie cringes away from the gloves dangling from his fingers as if they were a snake. "No, no, that's quite alright, you can have them." 

"Suit yourself," Gellert says, shrugging and pulling them onto his hands. 

"Tell me you at least cast a nonverbal _Scourgify_ on them first," I comment. 

Gellert doesn't answer, and I just roll my eyes a bit and continue into the cavern. At least he's not getting me killed or pissing off the wrong people or things at the moment. 

In the back of the cave, a large purple reptilian creation sits in the midst of a pile of shiny crystals. Four legs, vestigial wings, deep violet scales -- it's been a long time since I've seen any sort of drayk, especially a cryodrayk. I really hope Gellert doesn't piss _this_ one off. I _like_ drayks, never mind that angering a cryodrayk is liable to get us killed. 

"I suppose it shouldn't surprise me to find illegal creations out here," Tom says quietly. 

The drayk looks up at us when we come close, although from the look in his eyes, he doesn't seem to be all there, so to speak. "Shapers, Shapers, come to visit Wyx? Look at my shiny crystals. Pretty crystals. Aren't they lovely?" 

"Hello, Wyx," I say. "I don't suppose you've seen a servile in here, have you?" 

"Servile?" Wyx says distantly. "Not that I've seen. But then, I only care about my crystals." 

"Yes, your crystals are quite beautiful," I agree. 

"They sing to me," Wyx murmurs, gazing intently into the nearest one. "They soothe me. They keep me calm when I would be angry. When I would be full of wrath and desire to kill. With the crystals, I need no other desires. I don't need anything but my beautiful, beautiful crystals." 

"Can we trade you for some of your crystals?" Gellert asks. 

Wyx gives him a look of horror. "No! You won't take my crystals away from me!" 

"Gellert," I say warningly, then turn to Wyx. "It's alright, Wyx. We're not going to take your crystals away from you." 

Wyx relaxes a little at my words. "Yes. Yes. Thank you, Shaper. Wyx wants to keep his crystals. Especially his perfect crystal. His most priceless treasure." 

"Can we see it, at least?" Gellert urges him. 

"No!" Wyx snaps, snarling a little. "It is mine! My special, precious thing. All mine! Leave me alone!" 

I glare at Gellert, and he backs off a bit. At least even he has the common sense to be wary around a dragon. After a few moments, Wyx seems to calm down again, almost forgetting that we're still here. 

"It's alright, Wyx," I say to the drayk in the most reassuring tone I can manage. "We don't want your crystals. You can have them. You can have them all. They're quite lovely. You can keep your precious, perfect crystal. It's all yours." 

"Yes... Mine..." Wyx murmurs. "So perfect, so beautiful. I bring it out when everything seems dark, when the world seems hopeless, when I'm lost in despair. And when I look into the perfect crystal, I can see... a better world. A beautiful world, where everything is just as perfect and flawless as the crystal. And it gives me the strength and hope to go on." 

"Let's leave him be," I say quietly to the others, moving away and back out of the lair. 

"That perfect crystal could be very valuable and powerful," Gellert says. "Just think of what could be made from something like that!" 

"Gellert, we are _not_ going to take away the poor drayk's favorite crystal," I say firmly. 

"Why not?" Gellert says. 

"Alright, let me rephrase that," I say. "We're not going to anger the dangerous and mentally unhinged _dragon_ by taking away its most valued treasure." 

"Killing Curse," Gellert says. "Problem solved." 

"Or the Imperius Curse," Tom adds. "Didn't you use one of those on a dragon once?" 

"Bah," I mutter. "You mind control one dragon, and then everyone expects miracles out of you." 

"We should just leave the poor, mad thing alone," Cassie says. "It's not bothering anyone out here, and we don't need to get greedy." 

"Fine, fine," Gellert says. "But if we ever actually _need_ a flawless crystal for something, I'm coming back here to take it." 

"Not unless we've exhausted all other alternatives," I say firmly. 

"Whatever," Gellert grumbles. 

In a dogleg in the southern part of the cave, we come upon a small camp where a lone servile is sitting and hiding out in a nook. The mana creatures don't seem to have bothered him any, either. He looks up at us fearfully as we approach, curling up and cowering in the back of the alcove. 

"It's alright," Cassie says reassuringly. "We're not going to hurt you." 

"No want to go back," the servile whispers. 

"You don't have to go back to Braan," Cassie says. 

"I no have to? I no get scared and beat and made to stay where monsters are?" 

"No, you don't," I agree. "You can be free. We'll tell Braan that you went rogue and we had to kill you. Then he'll stop looking for you." 

"Really?" the servile says, brightening instantly. "Thank you, Shapers! You kind. You good to servile. I will go. I will flee. I go to northwest, where servile be free. Thank you." 

As we watch the creature scurry off out of the cave again, Gellert comments, "Why am I following you guys around again, anyway?" 

I snort softly. "Do you really need to ask that?" 

"Because you love us?" Cassie suggests. 

"Because we're liable to find great secrets and long-hidden knowledge?" Tom adds. 

"Point," Gellert says. "Well, let's go, then. Secrets won't find themselves." 

We head back out of the cave, and pass by Braan's farm. "We found that servile who ran off," I say. "I'm afraid it had gone completely rogue, however, and we dealt with it accordingly." 

"That's too bad," Braan says. "That'll just mean more work for me and the two that are left. But whatever a Shaper says, I suppose." 

We continue on, finally approaching the northwestern part of the valley. In this region, there seems to be a lot more rogues than there had even been around the spawner, and of more dangerous varieties. I spot clawbugs, twitching their stingers and milling about for targets, roamers stalking about on four legs with sunlight gleaming off of their orange scales, and there's even a few turrets ready to shoot thorns out from their fungoid masses at any intruders. 

"Definitely time to stun me again," I comment, making sure that we're far enough away still that the rogues haven't spotted us. 

After Tom stuns me and revives me again, we head down into the salt marsh, trying to force our way through the mass of rogues. Our own, weaker creations are slaughtered quickly, leaving us without our meat shields. My Shield Charm deflects some thorns from the turrets, but a clawbug gets through our defenses and stings me in the butt. 

"Gah!" I scream, falling over. "Damn it, you stupid scorpion, only Tom is allowed to do that!" 

I'm starting to feel a little woozy from the clawbug's venom, and expecting to be killed at any moment, but my companions dispatch the remainder of the rogues around us themselves. 

"Here, drink this, and I'll see about getting that wound healed," Cassie says, handing me a green curing pod. 

"What's the point?" I mutter, not taking it. "We might as well just start over and try again. Our creations are all dead and we're only, what, halfway through the marsh? Maybe?" 

"I didn't expect my thahds and fyoras to do much more than be a distraction anyway," Tom says. "But, even if they do ultimately halt our advance and prevent us from proceeding further, we can still gain more information before restarting our advance into this area." 

"You're right, I suppose," I murmur. I take the green gourd and pop open the stopper, and down its contents. My head clears a bit after a moment as the poison in my veins is neutralized. 

We continue on, just the four of us. As it turns out, while we do have a fair stretch of the marsh left, everything that could move had already swarmed at us. We incinerate the remaining turrets and approach the tunnel at the northwest end of the valley. There appears to be a sizable camp outside of it, manned by armed serviles. Seeing serviles with swords, rather than cowering and terrified creatures, is an odd comfort to me. 

Their leader raises a blade to us, and she says, "Shapers, I am Beka, of Rising. We will not allow you to pass. Today, you will die! Down with the Shapers!" 

"Rising?" Gellert says, raising an eyebrow. 

"We're not that kind of Shapers," I say. "I'd rather not have to kill any serviles today." 

"So you would rather enslave us, try to command us to do your bidding?" Beka says. "No. We will not stand for that. You may kill us, but we will never be your slaves again." 

"I would rather cut my own throat than enslave any being against its will," I say. 

"I don't believe you," Beka says, her blade dipping a little in doubt. "You are a Shaper. We have all put our lives on the line and will risk death against your kind. So long as my people can be free, it does not matter whether any one of us lives or dies." 

"And all Shapers you have encountered always seek to enslave you?" I say. 

"I am not here to talk, but to fight!" Beka says. "Put up your sword. I long for a good fight before one of us dies!" 

I slide my sword into the scabbard at my belt, step up to Beka, and drop to my knees before her. A mad impulse, perhaps, but it's not like I have any reason to fear death at the hands of this servile. 

"No, Beka," I say. "I will not fight you. I will give my life for the sake of the freedom of all beings, and gladly so." 

Beka doesn't seem to be sure what to make of this. Her sword is wavering, and her determination to kill us falters. "You... But..." 

"Oh, come on," Gellert says with a groan. "This is pointless. Let's just kill the stupid servile already." 

Cassie's wand is in her hand, and she points at Gellert and snaps, " _Silencio!_ " She turns to Beka and says, "Ignore him. He's kind of an idiot sometimes. I will fight for your freedom as well." 

"As will I," Tom says, although less passionately, pinning Gellert with a glare. 

Beka sighs and puts her sword away. "I do not know if what you say is true. That is not for me to decide. I do not believe you. Whether I live or die is unimportant. But if there is any chance that you might help us, then I should not fight you. If I learn otherwise, then I will find you, and we will do battle." 

I climb to my feet slowly. Beka gestures to the other serviles, and they stand down and allow us to pass freely. 

"Thank you, Beka," I say, bowing toward her. "You will not regret this." 

"No," Beka says. "I will not. But whether that ends in fight against you or beside you yet remains to be seen." 

The four of us head into the tunnel, and Cassie removes her silencing spell from Gellert. "What was that all about?" Cassie demands. 

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Gellert says. "You silenced me!" 

"You were being a fool," Tom comments. 

"We could have just as easily killed those serviles," Gellert protests. 

"That is not what we're here for," I say. 

"No, we're here to gain knowledge and power," Gellert says. 

"And killing potential allies is not the best way to go about that, you know," I say. "What if there's a grand library in this Rising that contains untold secrets that they're willing and open for sharing with any potential allies, but, 'Oh, you killed some of our friends back there, we won't talk to you now, sorry.'" 

"Alright, alright, you've made your point," Gellert says, grumbling a little. 

"You don't need to be abrasive to _everyone_ ," Cassie says. "Well, abrasive to everyone you aren't flirting with, at any rate." 

"I'm not flirting with you!" Gellert protests. 

"When did I say you were flirting with me?" Cassie says innocently. 

"Regardless," I say, clearing my throat. "There aren't going to be any loyal Shapers beyond this point, most likely. Everyone past here who isn't immediately trying to kill us is to be treated as a potential ally." 

"The serviles _were_ threatening to kill us!" Gellert protests again. 

"Alright, I see your point as well," I concede. "Let me amend that. If they're intelligent enough to listen, we should at least try to talk them down before killing them." 

"Especially the serviles," Cassie says. 

"Especially the drayks," I add. "Because drayks are awesome." 

"It would definitely be a good idea to attempt to get ourselves in good standing with the rebels of these mountains," Tom says. 

"Yes, it would," Gellert agrees. "Fine, if Lexen's feeling suicidal and wants to try _talking_ with anyone first, I don't see any reason why not. I generally always figured that it's a good idea to kill anyone that's trying to kill you, but I suppose, under the circumstances, that's not much of an argument." 

"Diplomacy!" I say cheerfully. 

"Diplomacy. Right. I'll be back here if you need anything killed." 

I hold up my hand to stop the others. "Mines ahead." The tunnel is filled with a number of red globes sitting on tiny legs, waiting to explode if any of us get too close. 

"It's stunning time again, isn't it," Tom says dryly. 

"Oh, this shouldn't be any problem," I say. "I learned all about disarming mines during my trip to Sucia Island. And it was from an actual book, even, so I'm still pretty sure I can do it." 

" _Stupefy_ ," Tom says almost boredly, and I drop. " _Rennervate_. Alright, have at it. We'll be over here taking bets on how long it takes you to get yourself blown up." 

"Or how many times you do," Gellert adds. "I put ten coins on three mines in." 

"I say at least five mines," Tom says. 

I roll my eyes and go forward to disarm the mines. It's been a while since I've done this, but I'm still pretty sure I remember the tricks to get in and disable their trigger device quick before they detonate. 

I disarm the first mine, but the second one is too close, and blows up in my face before I can disable it. 

* * *

I wake with a groan, rubbing my face. I always feel like it should still be hurting after I wake up, but it would be really bad if it were. Phantom pain, I suppose. 

"Hah," Gellert says. "And you thought I was underestimating you, I'm sure." 

"Alright, I say he probably won't die more than four times," Tom says. 

"I say he'll probably die around seven times," Gellert says. 

"You guys are horrible," Cassie says. 

"What's your bet, Cass?" Gellert says. 

"Twice," Cassie replies. 

I roll my eyes at them, and go to see about disarming the mines again. I get back into the swing of things readily enough, disabling mine after mine in rapid succession one after another. They're nothing I haven't dealt with before. 

And then I get overconfident and slip up, and another one blows up in my hands. 

* * *

"That's number two," Gellert says as I wake up. 

"Yeah, yeah," I mutter, getting to my feet again. 

I wish there were an essence pool around here, as magical exhaustion is going to set in at this rate, but I should be good for a bit longer. I go forth to try disabling the minefield again. To add insult to injury, I had almost gotten through the last time. 

Once I get all the mines cleared, I go back to where the others are waiting, and say, "Alright, guys, the mines are gone now." 

"Only twice?" Gellert says. "Damn." 

As we near the end of the tunnel and start seeing natural light up ahead, I spot the familiar sight of crystal fragments, including one intact cylinder full of swirling, glowing cyan liquid. Even after all this time, I have to make a deliberate effort to push down the urge to rush forward and claim it as my own. If there was still any doubt in my mind that the secrets of Sucia Island have gotten out, seeing this augmentation canister here dispels that notion quite neatly. 

"Is that...?" Cassie says. 

"One of those canisters you mentioned?" Gellert says. 

I give a nod, and Cassie touches my shoulder. I relax a little at her touch. I hadn't realized how tense I was. Was my canister addiction really so powerful that it carried across multiple lifetimes and a span of decades? 

Gellert approaches the canister with a manic grin on his face. "Well, now..." 

"Gellert!" I say. 

"What?" Gellert says, crouching over the canister and turning his head to look up at me. "Did you want it for yourself?" 

"No... No, I just... I don't think that's a good idea," I stammer. 

"Oh, come _on_ ," Gellert says. "I'll help you kill people, and I'll even avoid killing anyone you really like for whatever reason. I'll go along with whatever your plans are, even if I think trying to use diplomacy on people who are trying to kill us is silly. But you will not stop me from gaining power by whatever means I wish." 

I sigh, and rub my temples. "I've warned you all of the dangers, and the fact that the modifications will not carry on to the next life. I'm not going to touch the things myself, but I will not impose upon your free will if any of you think the risks worth partaking in this means to power." 

"I'll trust your word on its dangers," Cassie says. "None for me, thanks." 

"My Horcruxes already made me mentally unhinged enough as it was," Tom says. "I do not care to do that again." 

"Fine," Gellert says. "More for me, then." 

He puts his hand on top of the canister and activates it. The glowing liquid inside of the crystal container flows up his hand and arm, sinking into his body. His skin seems to glow and ripple for a moment, and his eyes take on a glazed look. He looks as though he were just having an orgasm. I watch the entire spectacle with morbid fascination. 

"Oh, Merlin," Gellert breathes, falling forward and steadying himself with his hands against the ground. "That was incredible." 

"Yes. Yes it is," I agree quietly. "I just hope that it's worth it for you." 

" _Hell_ yes," Gellert says. He climbs to his feet again slowly, still seeming a bit woozy. "And I got a new spell, too. I've got to try this out." 

Gellert lifts his hand, and a shimmering protective shield made of magical essence surrounds me. No words, no gestures, just will and thought. 

"Incredible," Gellert says. "It's like... it's like the magic is a part of me, as though it were always there. Like the age-changing ability that I got from being bonded with you." 

"Too bad it's only a physical change," I say. 

"Yeah, but imagine what we could accomplish if we could find out how these things are _made_?" Gellert says. "And someone up here in these mountains must know how to make them..." 

For the first time, I find myself beginning to dread returning to the world of Terrestia.


	10. Meet the Awakened

We step out of the tunnel and into sunlight again, and I stop dead in my tracks at the sight before me. The valley beyond the tunnel is carpeted in lush green grass, swaying slightly in the evening breeze, and the sun is slipping to the horizon behind the trees in the distance that grow thick with leaves or needles. So much for these mountains being barren and lifeless. 

If the Shapers had any idea what was really up here, they'd sweep down upon this land in an instant and destroy everything. They'd purge this land and everything in it, down to the smallest blade of grass. 

"Merlin, this place is beautiful," Cassie murmurs. 

There's an obelisk nearby, with words carved into it that I read aloud, "Freegate. Beyond here, all are free from Shaper tyranny, forever." 

"Does that include us, I wonder?" Gellert says. 

"We _are_ Shapers," I point out. 

"You might be, but I'm not," Gellert says. 

"We're just the worst Shapers ever," Cassie says dryly. 

"I wouldn't say that," Tom says. "We're hardly terrible at actual Shaping. It's just bothering to obey their laws for longer than is absolutely necessary that we've decided to take issue with." 

I laugh aloud, and shout to the sky, "You hear that, Shaper Council? We're free from your tyranny too, you bastards!" 

"I don't think they can hear you from here," Gellert says. 

Although it's late and this day grows old, I'm eager to see what lies beyond Freegate. I stride through the gap in the wall, head held high and breathing the fresh mountain air. Not far ahead is a group of serviles, hateful and intelligent, bearing blades and batons in their hands. They're in a good position to be able to watch the gate and stop any unwanted visitors from passing through. 

"Shaper, we must stop you from coming into our free lands. You are loyal to your kind, and so you must die!" 

I blink at him for a moment, and say, "I guess you must not have heard what I was shouting about just a minute ago. We're most definitely _not_ loyal Shapers." 

"And I'd like to point out that I'm not even a Shaper at all," Gellert adds. 

"How can we believe you?" one of the serviles protests. "How can we trust you? You are loyal Shapers, and therefore you must die!" 

"They're insane," Gellert mutters. 

More armed serviles, these ones wearing darker robes, emerge from the trees and approach. I start to wonder if this is going to lead to a particularly nasty fight, when one of them speaks up. 

"Shapers, we have come to assist you! Attack!" 

A strange battle erupts before me, of servile against servile. Now that there's actually a fight going on, my group joins in with blessing and healing magic to aid the new group of serviles, and Gellert strikes down several of the hostile ones with spells. 

I suppose it should not surprise me to learn that there is more than one faction of rebel serviles out in these mountains. The ones helping us are probably members of the Awakened, while the hostile ones are, regretfully, no doubt Takers. I fear that it might be difficult for me to earn the trust of the Takers again as I had before. 

Once the maybe-Takers are dead, the leader of the probably-Awakened approaches us, a very muscular armed female servile. "Shapers, I am Brodus Blade, of Medab." I recognize the name, and have to smile a little. Definitely Awakened. 

"Thank you for the assistance," I say, and give a quick round of introductions. "Who were those serviles who attacked us? Were they Takers?" 

"You know of the Takers?" Brodus says with a touch of surprise. "No, those were not Takers. They were Barzites, out from Rising to the south. It is a very hostile and dangerous place, run by a Shaper named Barzahl." 

"Barzites, huh," I say. That's a new one on me. "What happened to the Takers, then? And I assume that Medab is run by the Awakened?" 

"That's right," Brodus says. "The mad Takers, serviles and drayks both, can be found far to the northwest, around Zhass-Uss. They would, no doubt, be equally hostile toward you. We Awakened, however, will welcome you with open arms, so long as you mean us no harm. Our leader, Learned Pinner, would be glad to meet you." 

I give a nod. So there's not one, not two, but no less than _three_ rebel factions up here in these mountains. What a mess. Without Trajkov, they must not have had a strong enough leader to be able to unite them all. Barzahl sounds like he only created more schisms rather than bringing them all together. 

I have to wonder what happened to the previous leader of the Awakened, Ellhrah, but I've already revealed that I know more than I ought to as it is. Especially given that I don't think my conversation with Sencia actually happened. Or did it? I don't remember. Damn it. I'm starting to be unable to keep my lives straight. I would have hoped that the Shaper mental conditioning would have been able to help with that, but really, it boils down to the fact that I _do_ remember everything clearly, it's just that not everything I remember actually wound up happening in this timeline. 

"How would we get to Medab from here?" I ask. 

"Follow the road north," Brodus says, pointing. "These woods are full of rogues, but if you stay to the road, you should not encounter too many of them." 

"Well, it's good to know where to go if we want to kill rogues," Gellert says absently. 

"That would also be appreciated, if you were so inclined." 

"Is Medab very far?" I say. "It's getting pretty late. Is there someplace we could rest for the night nearby?" 

"It's about half a day's journey through the woods," Brodus says. "But there's a Shaping station nearby, I believe." She gives directions and points to where we might find it. 

"Excellent," I say. "Thank you, Brodus Blade. We'll check it out, and head for Medab in the morning." 

"And maybe kill a few rogues along the way," Gellert adds. 

We set off toward the building Brodus mentioned. Cassie says, "Those poor serviles." 

"What, the Barzites?" Gellert says. "They were _attacking_ us. Or going to, at any rate. And you can't blame this one on me. I didn't start the fight." 

"I'm not blaming anyone," I say. 

After a bit of searching, we find a small building tucked away in the forest, and head inside. There's a single Shaping platform set to one side, four chairs, as well as healing and essence pools. 

"Hmm," Tom says thoughtfully, looking around the area. "This area could be secured easily. This could be a good place to set up a small headquarters for the moment. A neutral location, between the different factions. Now, if we could set up some turrets or mines outside..." 

"We don't even know how to make turrets or mines yet," I say. 

"You're still thinking like a Shaper," Gellert says, pulling out his wand. "Forget the fungus. Let's just charm the hell out of the place." 

"We can put an extension charm on it to make it larger on the inside," Cassie says. "Transfigure some better furniture." 

"Make it Unplottable, put up Muggle repelling charms..." Tom adds. "Yes, I think this could work very nicely." 

"Now you're talking like a wizard," Gellert says. 

"It certainly beats that house in Drypeak," I say, taking a seat next to the essence pool to revitalize myself before we get to work. 

* * *

I wake early the next morning with the others, and we make preparations for the day over breakfast. 

"I think I'll Apparate back to Drypeak," Tom says. "See if Sharon will make good on her offer of a reward for information, for starters. And then see of I can worm anything else out of Zakary." 

"You'll miss out on a glorious slaughter, I'm sure," Gellert says. "If there's as many rogues up here as the serviles said." 

Tom chuckles. "I'm sure the three of you can handle it yourselves. I'll come back here by this evening, and you can Side-Along Apparate me up to Medab if you've gotten there yourselves by that point." 

"I don't know that I like splitting up," I say. 

"If there's anything too dangerous out there, retreat and leave it for later," Tom says. "I think I might have a better chance on my own to convince Zakary that I'm ready to assist him and loyal to whatever cause he might profess to." 

"Clever, although I'm not sure why you'd bother," Gellert says. 

"For one thing, to learn exactly what his agenda is and find out what he plans to do," Tom says. "For another, to claim any magic items and training that he might offer me in exchange for his assistance. And share them." 

"Sounds good to me," Cassie says. 

"I don't know that I like using him like that, either," I say. 

"Oh, come on, it's only Zakary," Gellert says with a snort. "And this is a fine time, ten years later, to start feeling bad about being dishonest." 

"Besides, you won't be using him," Tom says lightly. " _I_ will." 

I shake my head and say, "Never mind my bizarre moral sensibilities. They don't make much sense even to me. If you can find out what Zakary's stake in all this is, that could be useful. We'll see if we can get the way to Medab clear today." 

We finish up with breakfast and head out of the small Shaping station, now warded and enhanced by magic the Shapers know nothing about. Tom Apparates away, and the other three of us head out into the forest to hunt rogues. 

The forest west of the road is inhabited by a large number of vlish. Once I spot them, I raise up a hand and say quietly to the others, "Vlish. Kill them quickly so they don't call in their friends." 

Cassie and Gellert are good at killing things quickly, especially as they're not hiding their wands any longer. For my part, I attack with blasts of lightning channeled through the Zarnith, but I don't shirk on the defense, either. Getting killed would be an inconvenience to Tom, after all. So long as we're careful, however, the vlish are physically weak and go down rapidly. 

Further on along the road, we come upon a small guard post of armed serviles. I have to wonder just how strange and unnerving being around armed, intelligent serviles would be if I had never been to Sucia Island. 

"Hey there, serviles," Gellert says amiably. "We're looking to hunt some rogues. There any around here?" 

"Yes, there are," says the leader of the group of serviles, looking at us as if he blames us for all of his problems. "We've tried to keep the road clear, but there are still a lot of rogues once you get into the woods." 

"Great, thanks," Gellert says, already strolling off. 

"Learned Pinner in Medab wants to see you..." the servile leader says slowly as we walk away, and then gives up with a shrug. "Oh, never mind. Kill all the rogues you like. Do something useful for once." 

"Are you really trying to be helpful, or are you just feeling bloodthirsty?" Cassie says once we're away from the guard post. 

"Bloodthirsty," Gellert replies lightly. 

"Thought so," Cassie says. 

"Nothing wrong with being bloodthirsty," I say, grinning. "It's so nice to be able to get away with killing things, isn't it?" 

"I'll second that notion," Gellert says. 

The next stretch of forest is inhabited by roamers. Although physically tougher, much less potentially dangerous than vlish. I grin maniacally and dance in, glad for the sword practice, as Cassie and Gellert back me up with spells. 

We come upon a building tucked away in the woods, guarded by a handful of mines. The two by the door look to be of a particularly nasty variety. 

"You think you can disarm those safely?" Cassie asks. 

"Pretty sure," I say. 

"I'm stunning you anyway just to be sure," Gellert says with a smirk. " _Stupefy. Rennervate._ " 

"You have no faith in me," I say. 

I go forward and disarm all but the last mine, which blows up in my face. 

* * *

As I wake up again, Gellert says, "I just know you too well." He smirks. 

I grumble a little and go to disarm the mines again, this time without any unfortunate explosions. There's a small cache of supplies inside, although one of the boxes appears to have a particularly nasty acid trap on it. 

"I'm not touching that box," I say, indicating the last one. "There's no way I can disarm it, and it would probably kill me to try." 

"Just leave it, then," Cassie says. 

"Bah, there's more than one way to open a box or disarm a trap," Gellert says. 

"Do _you_ want to explain to Tom why we kept dying stupidly?" I ask. "Whatever's in there probably isn't all that important anyway." 

"Whatever," Gellert says. 

We resume scouring the forest, and in the process, come upon another spawner and destroy it, and then a second one. No wonder they've been having such trouble with rogues on the road. 

"I'd dearly love to find whoever thought these _things_ was a good idea," Cassie says, frowning deeply. "And then introduce them to a firebolt." 

Once the woods seem to be clear of rogues, we return to the road and make our way to Medab. The town is built of wood, solid construction, defended by a number of turrets and armed servile guards. It would be difficult for an unwary attacker to take this place. Most of the people milling about the town are serviles, although there are a handful of humans to be seen here and there as well. 

I smile and relax as I step into the town, even though all eyes are upon us as if wondering what we're going to do. I'm just glad, after so many years around meek little slaves, to finally be around independent serviles again. It's a breath of fresh air truer than stepping into the lush mountain valley was. 

A servile called Kashya comes up to us and offers to show us to Learned Pinner's office. 

Gellert says, "You go along and talked to this Learned Pinner. I'm going to go see if anyone wants to pay us for killing those spawners. And see if they have anything else to do for pay." 

I nod to him, and Cassie and I go to follow after Kashya. He takes us to a large building in the corner of town. 

"I am glad that you have come to our humble town," Kashya says. "But I must ask you to swear that you mean no harm to Learned Pinner before I can allow you to see her." 

"Of course," I say. "I do so swear that upon this day, no harm will befall Learned Pinner by my hand." 

"I swear that I will not bring harm to Learned Pinner, as well," Cassie adds. 

"It makes me glad to hear this," Kashya says. "Very well. I will allow you inside." He goes and unlocks the door to the inner chamber. 

Cassie and I go inside. Learned Pinner was already old when I met her on Sucia Island, and it's no surprise that she hasn't magically grown younger since then. And yet, there is much power here, in this room and in her. There are glowing runes covering the floor, Shaping platforms, and untapped energy fills the air. 

"Learned Pinner," I say, coming inside and dropping to one knee before the servile woman. "It is an honor to meet you." Cassie hesitates for a moment before following my lead and doing likewise, and I introduce the two of us. 

"I am surprised that Shapers such as yourselves would prostrate yourselves before a servile in such a manner," Pinner says. 

"Respect for age and wisdom, Learned Pinner," I say, rising. "You have lived longer and are much wiser than I, no doubt. I'm just a foolish youth who spent the last ten years trying to convince the Shapers that I was loyal to them." 

"And now you are here," Pinner says. "And yet, perhaps there is some hope for us after all. I hope that you might judge that we need not all be destroyed after all." 

"Certainly not," I say. "I seek nothing less than freedom for all beings. I will not bring harm to any servile unless I can find no other option." 

"I'm glad to hear that. Will you hear my tale?" 

"Of course," I say. 

Learned Pinner recants the tale of how the serviles came from Sucia Island to Drypeak with Zakary and Barzahl. It's pretty much what Sencia told me before, but at least now I don't need to incite wonder as to why I know things I should not. She also describes the other settlements, calling the Takers and Barzites mad for wanting to fight the Shapers. 

Ah, foolish, idealistic Awakened, still believing that they can deal with the Shapers as equals. It would be quite the dream if they ever could, but I know, now more than ever, that there's no way that that will ever be possible. I listen as Pinner describes the beliefs of the Awakened, about how they want to give and take fairly, and treat others and be treated with justice and equality. What a beautiful dream, not fit for a reality that will shatter it like blown glass. 

"Who created the Awakened?" I ask. "Was it you, Learned Pinner?" 

"No," Pinner says. "It was one of us named Ellhrah. But the toils of our new land took much out of him, and he grew ill and died. If you ever should wish to pay your respects to him, you can find his tomb to the north of here." 

I give a nod. "Perhaps we will visit sometime. He sounds like he was very wise. I am saddened to hear of his death." 

I don't know whether I'm really sad or not. At one point, I might have killed Ellhrah just for the sake of joining the Takers. Did I stay my hand out of a sense of mercy and righteousness, or because it would have been counterproductive to our cause? 

"I wish to join the Awakened," Cassie says suddenly. 

"Cassie?" I say. 

Cassie looks at me almost challengingly. "You would say anything otherwise? Their path is clearly the right and just one." 

I sigh. "I'm just not sure that I'm ready for this sort of commitment yet. Still, this isn't the place to discuss this." 

"Regardless," Pinner says. "It is not that simple. Before I can allow you to join the Awakened, you must prove yourselves loyal to our cause." 

"What would we have to do?" Cassie asks. 

"I believe there is a spy from Rising somewhere in Medab," Pinner says. "And there is a drayk belonging to the Takers in a nearby crystal mine. If you can deal with these problems, either by killing them or convincing them to leave us be, then I will be convinced of your allegiance." 

Cassie nods to her. "We'll see what we can do." 

I bid Pinner farewell and head out of the building with Cassie. Once out of earshot of any of the serviles, I hiss to her, "What was that all about?" 

"Do you really need to ask that?" Cassie says. "These serviles here are wonderful! They deserve our care and protection, and whatever aid we can give them." 

I rub my temples. I really don't want to argue with her, but I have no intention of joining the Awakened myself. We meet up with Gellert again. 

"Good news," Gellert says, tossing us coin purses. "Payment for killing the spawners." 

"Is there anything else we can do to help the people here?" Cassie asks. 

"Well, let's see," Gellert says. "The serviles here are getting sick. One of them her book back. One lost his ornks. One is missing a package of herbs. A woman in the inn wants Shaper lab equipment for some reason. And a Shaper here wants some strong healing spores to help cure the serviles. Oh, and she had a canister in a back room that I helped myself to." He grins wickedly. 

I snort softly in amusement. "Everyone always wants _something_ done. But don't you think she'll notice that her canister went missing after you were poking around back there?" 

"Nah," Gellert says. "I'm a _master_ of stealth." 

"Gellert!" calls a blue-robed Shaper, approaching us and looking none too happy. 

"Or not," Gellert murmurs. "Hello, Carnelian." 

"Did you take my canister?" the Shaper woman, Carnelian, demands. 

I sigh softly and roll my eyes. I pull a pouch of healing spores out of my bag that I'd picked up a while back and offer them to Carnelian. "Gellert tells me you wanted these?" 

Carnelian takes them and looks over them. "Ah. Yes. These. I may be able to help many serviles with this." 

"Can we overlook the missing canister?" Gellert says, looking shifty-eyed. 

"He's an addict already," I mutter. "But he's still my friend. Can we make it up to you somehow?" 

"Fine," Carnelian says. "Consider the canister fair trade for the spores you gave me, then, and we'll call it even." 

"Thank you, Carnelian," I say. "I apologize for my friend's indiscretions." 

"You'd best keep an eye on him. Those who grow dependent upon the canisters become erratic, and might do anything to attain more of them." Carnelian walks away. 

"Don't I know it," I murmur, mostly to myself. "Let's get back to headquarters and see if Tom's learned anything new." 

We head over to a spot out of sight to where we can Apparate back to our little Shaping station without attracting any unwanted attention. It's probably unnecessary, but it's never a bad thing to have people underestimating what you are capable of. 

When we meet up with Tom again at our new headquarters, he grins at us in greeting. There's a cryoa curled up on the floor next to him, breathing little clouds of frosty mist. Clearly, he learned how to make a new creation while he was there as well. 

"How did it go?" I ask. 

"Quite well," Tom says. "Sharon gave me this rather interesting little bracelet." He holds up a bracelet adorned with fangs. "And Zakary was quite desperate and easy enough to convince. I just told him that I disagreed with what my companions intended to do and wanted to subvert your plans however I could." 

"I'm glad you're _actually_ on our side," I say dryly. "What's he trying to do?" 

"Oh, he's got a whole guilt thing going on about what's happening up here," Tom says. "He wants to try to make everything right again and follow the will of the Shapers, and whatnot." 

"I'm starting to feel less bad about screwing him over," I comment. 

"Yeah," Tom agrees. "He went on and on about this sob story about how brilliant Barzahl was and how mediocre he is." 

"Sounds like Barzahl is really the brains of the operation, then," Gellert says. "He might be the one we really want to talk to." 

"Provided we can get to Rising without anyone trying to kill us on sight," Cassie says. 

"He wants me to try to infiltrate Medab," Tom says. "Apparently, from his sources, he has reason to believe that they have a research facility up there where they're actually inventing new spells. And, of course, he wants me to sabotage it." 

"And, of course, we're instead going to go there and see if we can convince them to teach these new spells to use instead," Gellert says. 

"Naturally," Tom says. 

"Anything else?" I wonder. 

"I picked up the rather nice belt I'm wearing," Tom says. "From Zakary's bedchamber. Well, he said I could take anything that would be useful, and he didn't specifically include that area..." 

I snicker softly. 

"Also, are you interested in a shield to go along with that sword of yours?" Tom says, pulling a rather large shield out of his small pouch. 

"Hmm," I say, taking it and holding it with Zarnith experimentally. "No, I think using this sword two-handed works better for me. It's a bit large and unwieldy to be using one-handed." I pass the shield back to him. 

"I'll find some merchant to take it off our hands, then," Tom says, shoving it back into his bag. "How did things go on your end? Did you get to Medab?" 

"Everyone in Medab wants to pay us to do stuff for them," Gellert says. "It's great." 

"I didn't think you'd be so excited to find lost ornks," I say dryly. 

"Find lost ornks in the middle of a monster infested wilderness," Gellert points out. "You can't swing a dead fyora around here without hitting a dozen rogues." 

"And we met with Learned Pinner," I tell Tom. "Cassie... wants to join the Awakened." 

"What?" Gellert says in surprise. "Why?" 

"Because--" Cassie begins, but Tom interrupts her. 

"I think that's a great idea," Tom says. 

"What?" I say. "You want to join the Awakened too?" 

"No, no," Tom says. "I'll stick with Zakary, for whatever he's worth. Cassie can join up with Learned Pinner. And then you and Gellert can join the remaining two factions. We'll have them all covered, and will be able to learn the secrets of all of them." 

Gellert laughs aloud. "That's insane. I kind of like it." 

"That's dishonest," I say. 

"How is it dishonest if we all join whichever faction we want?" Tom says. 

I sigh heavily and put my head in my hands. "You know we're going to have to eventually pick one to support." 

"And it should be the Awakened," Cassie says. 

"We can figure that out when it comes to it," Tom says. "After we've dug up all their dirt and secrets, we can discuss whose agenda we can all agree to live with." 

"If we can agree on anything," Gellert mutters. 

"Alternatively, we could start killing each other then," Tom says dryly, smirking at Gellert. 

"I just want to join the Takers and be done with it," I say. 

"Then I'll take the Barzites, I suppose," Gellert says. 

"That wasn't what I meant!" I protest. 

"So, it's decided then," Tom says. 

"You know what? Fine," I say. "You want to do this mad fool scheme, I'm hardly going to try to dissuade you. But when I join the Takers, I will _mean_ it." 

"And I'll mean it when I join the Awakened," Cassie says, frowning a little. 

"Let's... Let's just get some sleep," I say, rubbing my temples. 

"Already?" Tom says. "I was going to take some time out to share with you the new spells I picked up in Drypeak." 

I pause for a moment. "Magic lessons, _then_ sleep." 

"At least you've still got your priorities straight," Gellert says.


	11. Wake Up Call

"Alright, the first matter is to get Cassie into the Awakened," I say. 

"You aren't still upset about me wanting to join them?" Cassie says, looking at me with a touch of surprise. 

"No, Cassie," I say. "I'll support you in whatever you want to do, even if I don't personally agree with it. The Awakened are idealists, and I don't think their methods will get them very far, but if you want to join them, I'll do whatever I can to make sure that you are able to." 

Cassie gives me a spontaneous tight hug. "Thanks, Lexen." 

The four of us Apparate back to Medab and decide to split up to scour the city for the spy Pinner mentioned. I have a feeling that we're likely to utterly fail at discretion again, however. I take a moment to ask a servile guard if they've seen Rispy around. 

"Rispy? No, he's not here," the guard replies. "I think he got posted up in Triola." 

I thank the guard and move on. I wind up searching out the northeastern part of town as the others go off in different directions. Poking around in one building, I come upon the strange sight of a servile kneeling in front of a fire and performing meditations for magic. 

She stops what she's doing as I step in, stands and turns to me. "Greetings, Shaper. I am Larrick." 

"My apologies," I say. "I did not mean to interrupt your meditations." 

Larrick waves it off. "I'm happy to speak with you, Shaper." 

"Well, please call me Lexen, then," I say. "I hate it when people just call me 'Shaper'. Especially when I've already betrayed the Shapers and their cause." 

"You would still be a creator of life, even if you do not follow their path," Larrick says. "But very well. Lexen." She inclines her head toward me. 

"What was it you were doing when you came in?" 

"I was meditating to keep my mind sharp for spellcasting," Larrick explains. 

"That's what I thought you were doing," I say, frowning thoughtfully. "But I thought serviles couldn't use magic." Or could they? I seem to recall some mention of ones who had managed it on Sucia Island. 

"Perhaps not normally," Larrick says. "There were those who had managed to learn, back on Sucia Island. But it had a tendancy to drive them mad in the process. We had found better methods since then." 

This world has really made me question what the line is between a mage and a Muggle. It seems like everyone on this world is capable of magic, even the ones that shouldn't be able to be. Could it just be that there simply _aren't_ any Muggles on this world? 

"What sort of methods have you found?" I ask. 

"I know little about the details, myself. Perhaps you should visit our research facility to the north? I'm certain that there is much that we could learn from one another." 

I give a nod. "I probably will at some point." 

I bid Larrick good day and leave her home. I could be mistaken, but I don't think she seems like a spy to me. As I head back out to the main road, Gellert spots me and approaches. 

"I found the spy," Gellert says quietly to me. "His name was Crillie. I warned him that he was suspected of being a spy and his cover was close to being blown, and he fled the city." 

I nod. "Let's go find Tom and Cassie, then." 

We meet up with them again, and Cassie informs Pinner of her success. Then we set out of town to find the crystal mine that the drayk was supposed to be in. This venture seems far more likely to require killing things, and Gellert looks positively gleeful at the prospect. 

"Are you excited about getting to kill things, or the possibility of finding canisters?" I ask. 

"Both," Gellert says. 

The forest to the southeast of Medab is filled with vlish and clawbugs. We're doing better now that we've gotten into the swing of things. I think ten years of a relatively easy life had just made us a bit rusty and complacent. Training exercises aren't any real substitute for actual combat. I still wind up getting poisoned by a vlish pretty badly, but Cassie just rolls her eyes and casts a quick spell to cure it. 

Tucked away in the woods, we find a building with a sign proclaiming it to be the "Retreat of Contemplation". It's swarming with rogue clawbugs and vlish. 

"I hope whoever was here... retreated," I comment as we finish dispatching a group of rogues. 

"No signs of any bodies, but the rogues might have eaten them," Tom says. 

Once the rogues are dealt with, we search the building and find a couple of spellbooks that are still intact. The four of us take a moment to study them eagerly before tucking them away in our bags and moving on. 

We come upon a side path littered with small greenish mushrooms with little waving antennae on top. I hold up my hand to stop the others. "Mines." 

"I thought those red globe things were mines," Gellert says. 

"Different kind," I say. "Those are box mines. These are mushroom mines. I can't disarm these." 

"Well, it's impossible to completely block a path in an open forest," Tom says. "Let's see if we can get around them. Someone must be hiding something here." 

He does stun me before we proceed, however, just in case. As it turns out, we don't have much trouble avoiding most of the mines, and there aren't even any directly outside the building that they seem to be protecting. The only notable thing inside is a canister. 

Gellert's eyes light up when he sees it, and he charges toward it without hesitation and puts his hand on top of it. "Ahh..." he says softly as the glowing liquid changes his body, letting out a long sigh of contentment. 

It's hard to believe that he's already so addicted to them even only after three canisters. How long until the both of us lose track of how many he's used? How long until he loses himself and starts to behave erratically like a madman? It worries me, it really does. I don't want to lose my friend. And I don't know for sure how much the mental effects might wind up being permanent even across lifetimes. It was impossible to judge that from my own perspective. Now, I get to experience the horror of watching a friend slowly lose his mind. 

I try to put it out of my mind for now as we head east. After some walking, we come to a sickly marsh. The place doesn't seem healthy at all, like the rebels' efforts to bring life to this area wasn't entirely successful, and to make matters worse, I can hear and smell rogues all over the place. There's a distinct odor of sulphur in the air. 

"What are these things?" Cassie says. "Roamers? I've never seen _red_ roamers before." 

"Shit," I mutter. "Pick them off at a distance. Don't let them get close." 

Gellert flicks his wand at one of them, and as the roamer dies, it explodes in a small fireball. 

" _Exploding_ roamers?" Cassie says, eyes widening. "That's just sick and wrong." 

"That's what I said when I first came across them," I say. 

"I think whoever invented exploding roamers just moved to the top of my list of people who should be hunted down and killed on principle," Cassie says. 

"They're probably already dead," Tom says. "It would surprise me if they hadn't been killed by their own creations by this point." 

"Their own creations randomly blowing up in their face," I add. 

Still, I'm paranoid enough to ask for a stun before we continue. Predictably, despite our best efforts at caution, we wind up getting surrounded and killed by a massive chain of explosions. 

* * *

"Can we be any _more_ careful about these damned things?" I say as I climb to my feet again. 

We try again, redoubling our efforts to avoid getting blown up. We finally make it to the crystal mine, but it isn't exactly much of a refuge. More exploding roamers are inside, and to make matters worse, the air is overcharged with energy in a painful manner. I'm distinctly reminded of my trip into the Power Core on Sucia Island, that got me horribly, painfully killed. Thankfully, it doesn't seem quite as bad, at least this far in. That doesn't bode well for what we might find further in, however. 

The roamer problem, thankfully, is quickly dealt with by destroying a spawner just inside the entrance. With that taken care of, the place seems only slightly worse than the similar crystal cave just west of Drypeak. 

"I will not touch the crystals," Gellert murmurs. "I will not touch the crystals." 

"Good," I say. "This place is bad enough without pissing off the energy shades." 

"Hopefully the drayk in here will be less... mentally unbalanced than the last one," Cassie says. 

The energy in the air becomes more and more painful as we progress. Healing spells keep us going, and we don't dare try to collect any of the crystals, no matter how valuable they appear. Then, in the deepest part of the cave, we come upon a room that makes my eyes water and my muscles twitch. A powerful glowing crystal, enormous in size, sits in a small excavated cave, surrounded by broken shards. Nearby, there are the corpses of servile miners who didn't make it. 

"The drayk isn't in there," I say, backing away from the room quickly. "And I don't think I want to get close to that crystal." 

"Agreed," Tom says, giving the place some distance. "That would appear to be the primary source of the unstable energy in this cavern." 

"It's beautiful," Cassie murmurs. "And yet, so deadly. Let's just go see if we can find that drayk." 

We backtrack away from the deadly crystal, and explore the cave a bit more. Tom's cryoa, however, doesn't fare as well. With a sickening whimper, the poor creation expires and collapses to the floor in a pool of essence. Perhaps it's just as well that Tom hasn't been naming his creations. 

In an abandoned tool shop off of one corridor, we finally locate the drayk we're looking for. This one appears to be young, freshly made. The green scales are smooth and unblemished, and the vestigial wings stretching out from the back are clean and unscarred. 

"Welcome to my lair, Shapers. My name is Trine. I do hope that it will not be necessary for us to do battle." 

"No, mighty drayk, we did not come here intending to fight you," I say, giving a deep bow toward the creation. I make a quick round of introductions. "The Awakened in Medab tell us that you are a spy for the Takers." 

Trine lets out a soft, rumbling chuckle. "I suppose you could call me that, yes. Syros, the mighty drayk in Zhass-Uss, sent me here to keep an eye on the little serviles in Medab." 

"This place doesn't bother you?" Cassie says. "I guess you aren't hurt by all the energy in the air, but what about all those exploding roamers?" 

Trine practically laughs again at that. "Who do you think put the roamers there in the first place?" 

" _What?_ " Cassie exclaims. "Are you mad?" 

I guess it would stand to reason that someone had to put the spawners in place, but it surprises me that it was the doing of a drayk. "I didn't think drayks could Shape." 

Cassie casts a glare at me. "Do you still think supporting the Takers is the right idea?" 

"I... don't entirely agree with all of their methods sometimes," I admit with a sigh. 

"You? A Shaper? Would support the Takers?" Trine says, looking at me in surprise. 

"I bear no loyalty or goodwill toward the Shapers," I say. "Nor do any of us here. We joined up with them only to take their powers for ourselves, to learn what we could from them. We've been pretending to be loyal for the last ten years. But we were never truly loyal." 

"And I'd like to point out that I'm not a Shaper in the first place," Gellert says, raising a hand. 

"He does that a lot," I comment with a smirk. "Gellert, you might as well just start wearing a sign that says 'Not a Shaper.'" 

"Hmm, there's a thought," Gellert says. 

"It's just as well that you are not loyal Shapers," Trine says. "Perhaps you might spare yourself the pain of defeat at the hands of the Takers, then. We will strip the Shapers' powers and destroy them utterly. We will take their skills for our own. We will feast upon their bones." 

I grin a little at that. "Excellent. But... to the matter at hand, we came here to warn you." 

"Warn me?" Trine says. 

I nod. "The serviles in Medab have found you out. The spawner has already been destroyed, and they're going to root you out next." 

"They sounded like they intended to send a small army," Tom says. "They'll take losses, to be sure, but they seemed to consider removing you to be worth it." 

"The serviles mean to attack me? What a bother. Ah, well, I'm surprised that they allowed me to remain here for as long as they did. I had best move on before they get here. Perhaps we'll meet again, Not-Shapers." 

We make our way out of the cavern again before Apparating out of Medab. Cassie is afraid that the energy levels inside of the place would interfere with Apparation. 

"I can't believe you just let that drayk go," Cassie mutters. 

"Did _you_ want to fight a dragon?" I say. 

"Not really. Especially not in that sort of environment. But to think he was responsible for the exploding roamers..." She shakes her head disgustedly. 

Cassie heads in to Learned Pinner's building to make her report. The rest of us remain outside and go to see about visiting a merchant. 

"We could have probably collected a lot of those crystals safely," Gellert grumbles. 

"Do you really want to go back and try?" I say. 

"Hmm, no," Gellert says. 

A little while later, Cassie comes up to us again and says quietly, "Let's head back to headquarters and debrief." 

We finish up our business with the merchants. Gellert apparently has been busy scavenging. I can't really blame him. Then we go out and Apparate from a quiet spot. 

"So, how did it go?" I ask. 

"Well, I'm now officially a member of the Awakened," Cassie says. "Learned Pinner mentioned a Magus Complex located two days travel to the northeast from Medab, where most of their magical training and research takes place." 

"And what are her plans?" Tom wonders. 

"She spoke of a place near Rising called Radiant College. That's apparently where the Barzites perform their studies and experiments. She wants the place sabotaged, or their main researches killed." 

"They don't ask for much, do they," I say. "All of these factions really have it out for one another, it seems." 

"I also picked up some supplies and equipment," Cassie says. She pulls out a very nice breastplate from her little bag. "I know you're going to use this to help fight for serviles, even if not directly for the cause of the Awakened." She passes it over to me. 

"Nice," I say, taking it and looking it over. It's magnitudes better than the chitin armor I've been using. "It'll probably take some getting used to wearing armor this heavy, but it'll be worth it." 

"Especially if you die less frequently," Cassie adds. "And I got this, too." She pulls out a particularly nasty looking thorn baton from her bag as well. 

I let out a low whistle. "A reaper baton. Rispy's going to love that." 

"Wasn't this Rispy supposed to be in Medab?" Gellert says. 

"He's been posted up in Triola, apparently," I say. "Not sure where that is. Perhaps we should head there next and meet up with him." 

"What makes you think he'd even want to help us?" Gellert says. "I say we should make for Rising next." 

"I think we should pay a visit to the Magus Complex," Cassie says. "And see if there's anything there that we can learn." 

Tom, working on creating a new cryoa, glances up as he finishes and realizes that all eyes are upon him and waiting for his opinion. "Rising can wait," Tom says. "Let's split up. Cassie and Gellert can go to the Magus Complex, and Lexen and I will make for Triola. That way, if either group runs into any trouble, they can send off a Patronus for help if needed." 

"I'm still not sure splitting up is a good idea, but... the plan is sound, I suppose," I say. 

Cassie passes over the reaper baton to me, and I tuck it away in my bag. "We'll be fine," Cassie says. "We just need to be careful and remember to use the skills we have. Any one of us should be an army in our own right." 

"Getting killed by thahds is just embarrassing," Gellert says. 

"Hopefully that won't be happening again," I say, tapping my new shaped breastplate. 

* * *

The next morning, we Apparate back to Medab and part ways. Triola is to the northwest, apparently, and the Magus Complex is to the northeast. 

As Tom and I leave Medab, I say to him, "I'm surprised that you were willing to split up like this, or to come along with me rather than go to learn some magic directly." 

Tom shakes his head. "It's also a matter of practicality. The serviles might have received word that I'm working with Zakary, and could prove more difficult to deal with if I were present. Cassie and Gellert, on the other hand, should have no trouble getting them to open up their secrets." 

"Going to Triola is purely indulging me, though," I say. "We could have started to clear the path to Rising or Zhass-Uss." 

Tom grins at me, and says, "It could still prove profitable to come, but what's wrong with indulging you? Whatever tensions and disagreements our little group might have had, I do still care about you, you know. And if we're to rule this world side by side, we'd best be as prepared as we can be." 

I snort in amusement. "You say the sweetest things." 

"Do you intend to take Rispy along with us?" Tom asks. 

I rub my eyes. "I don't know. It might complicate things. We'd have to Apparate him everywhere. And he might prove to be a royal pain in the ass if we do anything he doesn't like. But then, so might Gellert." 

"Gellert. Yes." Tom sighs. "He does not seem to realize the precarious position he's in. You hold his life and soul in your hands." 

"I don't want to try to force him into anything, yank his chain, or anything," I say. "But he's getting really frustrating sometimes." 

"And I do hope that Cassie realizes that the peace and equality the Awakened are hoping for isn't going to happen," Tom says. "I couldn't say yet if supporting the Barzites or Takers would be most optimal, personally. We'll need to see." 

"The Barzites are new," I say. "The Takers, I knew them back on Sucia Island. Crazy, violent, and willing to do anything it took for their freedom. I appreciated their honesty and realism. But things have changed since Sucia Island, and I don't know in what way yet." 

"Until we learn more, we should avoid doing too much to indocrinate ourselves into any one faction," Tom says. "And especially avoid angering anyone too much yet." 

"Agreed." 

Along the way to Triola, we're ambushed by a particularly large green thahd. I run him through with the Zarnith before even really noticing that he was yelling at me. 

"Grahg, huh?" Tom comments absently. "Well, Grahg is dead, I suppose." 

"Grahg?" I say. 

"He said his name was Grahg and that he was going to kill us," Tom says. "Although not quite so eloquently. Didn't you hear him?" 

I shrug. "Not really. I just saw something to kill, and killed it." 

"So, what, the minute your mind registered something as an enemy, anything but killing it didn't matter?" Tom wonders. 

"Pretty much." 

Triola is a crappy little town in the middle of a swamp. And I almost don't recognize Rispy standing watch outside one of the buildings. He's older, nineteen whereas he had been fourteen when I knew him before. He looks like he's seen a lot of hardship in that time, and bears a number of thin scars. His robes are muddy and tattered, and the blade he wields looks like it was scavenged out of a scrap heap. 

Still, despite all that, it's a relief to see him again, even if he won't remember me. I go up to him, Tom stepping in behind me. 

"Greetings, Shapers," Rispy says wearily. "Welcome to Triola, such as it is. So long as you don't cause any trouble, you are welcome here." 

"I'm glad to hear that," I say. "My name's Lexen, and this is Tom. What's your name?" 

"Rispy. I'm nobody important, though. I'm just a guard. Guarding this town. In this swamp." 

"So, is that your destiny, huh?" I say. "Nonsense. There is no destiny but what we make ourselves." 

Rispy snorts softly. "Yeah, very well that's worked out for me so far. I hoped to be an adventurer once. A hero, doing great deeds, slaying horrific monsters. Now? I'm out in a swamp killing rats and the occasional bandit." 

"It's not too late, Rispy. You're, what, nineteen, twenty? You have a life ahead of you. You can _be_ a hero still." 

"If I ever get the opportunity," Rispy says bitterly. 

"Are you going to sit in this swamp forever just waiting for an opportunity? Well, fine then. I give you... Opportunity." I pull the reaper baton out of my bag and pass it over to him. 

Rispy's eyes widen when he sees it. "I-- I can't accept this." 

"Why not?" I say. "It's your chance to change your fate and do something good in this life. Do something important. Make a difference." 

"I'm Awakened. We believe in fair trade. And I have nothing that could possibly compare to this." 

I don't point out that this was taken from the Awakened stores to begin with. "What if you came with us and helped us?" 

"I can't leave my post," Rispy says regretfully. "There's too much to be done here. They need me." 

"What if you were to come with us to help secure the area around here, first and foremost?" 

Rispy thinks on that for a few moments before nodding. "Yes. I think that would be acceptable. Let me go talk to Griffith first." 

Rispy heads inside one of the buildings to speak with his superior. A little while later, he emerges again, beaming. He finally reaches out and takes the reaper baton from my hand. 

"It's a deal. You've got yourself a warrior, Shaper Lexen." 

"Great. But do just call me Lexen. I'm not a Shaper anymore." 

"Shall we get started in the morning?" Tom says. "It's already growing late." 

"Good idea," Rispy says. "I'm sure there's room for you at the inn, or the barracks if need be." 

I shake my head. "We're just going to teleport back to our headquarters. Would you like to come with us?" 

"Teleport?" Rispy says, looking at me in confusion. 

"Magic," Tom says. "Blink, we're in one place, then suddenly we're in another." 

"You can do that?" Rispy says. "Sure, I'd love to see your... headquarters. I think I've heard of some powerful mages that could do that, but... And you can move me around like that, too? I'm no caster." 

"We can. Just hold on and we'll go." I offer my hand, and Rispy takes it. 

I Apparate back to headquarters, and Tom pops in after me. Rispy blinks for a moment and stares around at the lavish place. We've done a lot of work on magical remodeling. It's not up to the standards of an old pureblood house, but it's definitely passable. It even has running water and baths now. 

"Wow. Where is this place?" 

"Just past Freegate," Tom replies. "But we've got the place so spelled up that nobody's going to find it unless they know it's here." 

Cassie and Gellert appear in the room after a moment. Rispy jumps as they appear and looks at them warily. 

"Friends of ours," I explain. "Rispy, meet Cassie and Gellert." 

Cassie waves. "We made it to Belik's Crossing today." 

"So, this is Rispy, huh?" Gellert says. 

Rispy raises an eyebrow. "Huh? How do you know me?" 

"You didn't tell him yet?" Gellert says, looking at me. 

I put my face in my palm. "No, I haven't." 

"Explain," Rispy says. 

"It's complicated," I say. "I'll try to explain. Um... I'm a dimension traveler. The four of us are all from another world, actually. Well, different other worlds. I met you in another timeline. I went to Sucia Island. Except that didn't happen in this timeline. Something different happened instead, and I didn't go to Sucia Island." 

"I think you're just confusing him," Tom comments. 

Rispy blinks slowly at me. "So... You know me, and I don't know you? This is giving me a headache." 

"Time travel tends to do that sometimes," I say. 

"I see. Well, that might explain why you walked up to me and gave me a _reaper baton_ out of the blue," Rispy says. "So what exactly happened in this... other dimension, then?" 

"You and me, we joined up with Trajkov, the Sholai, and the Takers, and took the fight to the Shapers," I say. "We were doing pretty damned well, too, actually. But then I got killed and my life reset to the beginning again. Oh, yeah, I'm immortal and go back in time when I die." 

"I'm not sure whether to be more surprised by the idea of me joining the Takers or you being immortal..." Rispy says. "Why did I join the Takers? I'm Awakened!" 

"I certainly have no idea," Cassie murmurs. 

"You spent a lot of time traveling with me up until that point," I say. "And we'd both realized that the Awakened... well, their idealism is admirable, but there's no way that the Shapers will ever deal with creations as equals. Bloodshed is regrettable, but inevitable." 

"I'll respectfully disagree," Cassie says. "I think it's at least worth trying for." 

Rispy looks between me and Cassie, and says, "So do you guys support the Awakened or not?" 

"Cassie's in the Awakened," Tom says. "The rest of us aren't. We're intending on trying to join every faction before deciding which one to support in the end." 

"I see..." Rispy says. "Have I mentioned yet that you're insane?" 

I can't help but grin broadly. "Not in this lifetime. It's good to have you at my side again, Rispy." 

* * *

The next day, Tom, Rispy and I Apparate back to Triola, and get to work on killing everything hostile nearby. We explore Ellhrah's tomb, help to secure Fort Muck, and overall, spend a lot of time killing things in the swamp. 

That afternoon, Cassie's raven Patronus flutters in while we're trudging through the swamp. "Can you prepare for a reset?" 

I have Tom stun me, and then send a reply, "Done." 

A while later, the Patronus returns and says, "Alright, let's reset it now. Those spells were _expensive_. We weren't even able to afford them all with what we had on hand." 

I age myself out of existence and send us back. Cassie asks for another reset after that, and then when that's done, she sends a final message with, "That should be good. Thanks." 

We meet up again with Cassie and Gellert at headquarters on the second night. They're sitting quietly at the transfigured dinner table and eating ravenously. Rispy sniffs at the food and charges in, but Cassie stops him with a raised hand. 

"You're covered in mud," Cassie says. "Go take a shower first, at least. I'm not going to clean up after you." 

Rispy pouts a little, and then says, "Alright, alright." He heads into the bathroom. 

"How did it go?" I ask Cassie. I'm not any less muddy than Rispy, so I hold back and wait for my turn in the bath. 

"We learned a lot," Gellert says. "Unfortunately, Cassie got more out of it than I did. Tuldaric wouldn't modify _me_." 

"Modify?" I wonder, raising an eyebrow. 

"They had a... a platform," Cassie murmurs, looking a little distant. "It changes people. Human, servile, whatever. Makes them stronger. Able to use magic if they weren't before, able to use _stronger_ magic." 

"Tuldaric said that the most powerful spells would kill an unmodified human trying to use them," Gellert says. 

"Interesting," I say. "Was it like the canisters?" 

Cassie shakes her head. "No. Maybe. I don't know. It wasn't a pleasant experience. But I feel... a lot more powerful. But that's why I asked for the resets. I didn't want to have to go through that again. And Tuldaric charged an arm and a leg for his spells. But one of them appears to be a Kill spell, and doesn't even require a focus or an incantation." 

"And I memorized Tuldaric's research notes on the subject," Gellert says, grinning broadly. "With the time and resources, I'm pretty sure I could duplicate it." 

Cassie looks at him in surprise. "You could? You could make wizards more powerful? Make Muggles and Squibs capable of magic?" 

Gellert practically looks as though his face is about to split open from ear to ear. "I could. I spent the entire time you were training with him reading through and memorizing his notes. And thanks to the Shaper mental conditioning, it's all up here now." He taps his head. 

"That's... interesting," Cassie says, her mind clearly miles away by now. "Very interesting indeed."


	12. Dealing with Demons

Even after explaining how my power works to Rispy, he's determined to come along with us anyway. "Not being immortal has never stopped me from fighting before," Rispy says with a smirk. 

"We might get into dangerous situations and wind up all dropping dead, though," I say. 

"Then I will run," Rispy says with a shrug. "I don't see how it makes a difference." 

"I'll try to keep you out of trouble if it looks like we're about to be doing something utterly suicidal, though," I say. "Sometimes I do that just to test the waters. But sometimes, death can't be predicted." 

"Getting killed doing something useful is still better than sitting around in the swamp." 

I can't really argue with that sentiment. "Suit yourself, but I did warn you." 

I suppose Rispy's answer shouldn't surprise me. I couldn't really have expected anything else from him. Despite all that's happened to him differently, he's still Rispy. He's still the same person. 

"So, are we heading for Rising next?" I ask the others, munching on some breakfast. 

"Nah, it can wait," Gellert says. 

I look at him in surprise. "I thought you were eager to get there." 

"There's still things to do around here," Gellert says. "We haven't finished exploring the Magus Complex, for one." 

Cassie snorts. "You just want to steal from the Awakened." 

"No, I just want to see what they're hiding," Gellert says. 

"What makes you think we're hiding something?" Rispy asks. 

"Do _you_ know what all is in the Magus Complex?" Gellert asks. 

"No," Rispy says. "But I'll come along and help if it'll prove that we have nothing to hide." 

"There was also something in Ellhrah's tomb that we might want to investigate further," I say. "We cleared out a bunch of ghosts in there, but the deeper section looked dangerous, so we left it be." 

It was poignant seeing the gravestones with so many familiar names, serviles I had met on Sucia Island. I hadn't known them for very long, but I remember them. So determined, so strong. Even Rydell, once the leader of the Obeyers, believed firmly in the path he followed, even if it only led him to disappointment in the end. 

The five of us Apparate over to the Magus Complex to look around. It's a huge, impressive structure, and reminds me in a way of Hogwarts, and yet it's nothing like Hogwarts at all. The people in this world approach magic in an entirely different way. There's so much energy here, so much raw power just waiting to be tapped. 

We first make a stop at the library to do some quick reading. There's even a book on languages here, but after skimming through it, I find no matches for Sharon's book. It must be written in an awfully obscure tongue. 

Our wanderings around the Magus Complex wind up taking us to what appears to be Tuldaric's private chambers next. I can't help but wonder if Gellert only wanted to come here just to see if he was hiding any canisters back here. 

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I say. 

"What are they going to do, kill us?" Gellert says. "Besides, I just want to see what's in here." 

"You're as bad as Sirius," I mutter. 

Aside from the lock on the door, which is readily defeated, the defenses in here don't appear to be spectacular. I'd been concerned about reaper turrets or something. But the only defenses inside at all are a pair of golems guarding, sure enough, a canister. After we hack and blast apart the golems, Gellert gleefully goes over to claim his prize. 

"I hope Tuldaric doesn't notice..." I murmur. 

"You haven't met Tuldaric," Cassie says. "He's not likely to notice much of anything, and even if he does, he's not likely to trace it back to us. I have to wonder if he even still sleeps..." 

We head back to explore the storage caverns behind the Magus Complex next. There's a lot of rogues being kept back here that we need to fight through. 

Then, we step into one room to see a dark, demonic shade, wreathed in flame, standing in the midst of a runed summoning circle. "Come closer, mortals. I would speak with you. I cannot harm you from here. But perhaps I can help you." 

Cassie freezes and stands still in the doorway for a long moment, staring at the creature. "A demon?" 

"Yes. I am a prince of the infernal realms. Tuldaric has imprisoned me here for his own gain." 

"Really," Gellert says. "Perhaps this explains where the modifications and powerful spells he's been dealing with came from." 

"Indeed," the demon says. "Tuldaric would use me to increase his power, to allow humans to call forth magic far beyond their normal capacity." 

"The Awakened are consorting with demons?" Cassie says in a small voice, as if hardly able to believe it herself. 

"Technically, Cassie, _I_ am a demon, too," Gellert points out. "Or have you forgotten that part?" 

"I try not to think about it," Cassie says. 

"You are no true demon," says the infernal being. "You are a mere mortal who has taken it upon yourself to use dark rituals to gain some measure of demonic power. True demons are _born_." 

"Whatever," Gellert says. 

"Still, you may be of some use to me. I can help you, and you can help me. I wish to be free of this place, to return to my home in the Abyss. But the spells that bind me are too strong. If you killed Tuldaric, I could be free once again." 

"I'm not sure that I'm overly eager to consort with a demon myself," I say. "My present traveling companions notwithstanding." I smirk. 

"If you can free me, I will make it worth the trouble," the demon says. "I can make you stronger and more powerful." 

Rispy's staring silently at the demonic creature, gaping a little. Gellert notices Rispy's expression and elbows him in the ribs. "The Awakened aren't hiding anything, huh?" 

"I... I had no idea Tuldaric was doing this," Rispy says. "I didn't know that the servile casters' power was demonic in origin." 

"Would I be a hypocrite for thinking ill of Tuldaric for this, given my current assocations?" Cassie asks. 

Tom looks at Cassie appraisingly and turns to the demon prince. "Tuldaric will likely wind up dead before we are done in these mountains, but we will probably not be going after him immediately. Will your offer still hold if we don't get to it for a few weeks?" 

"A few weeks?" the demon says. "Acceptable. I have been held here for years. I can wait a little while longer, with the thought of imminent freedom upon me." 

"How do we know you won't go slaughtering everyone if you were freed?" Rispy demands, finding his tongue again. 

"Fool. I have no interest in this petty realm, nor its mud and filth and the vermin that scurry about in it. I only wish to leave. I will give you an absolute oath. Kill Tuldaric, and I will leave this realm. I will bring no further harm to anyone here." 

"That seems reasonable," I say. 

"Consorting with a demon to kill someone for consorting with a demon just seems wrong somehow," Cassie says. 

"You don't want me here," the demon prince says. "And I don't want to be here." 

"I suppose," Cassie says uncertainly. "Let's... Let's just go." 

* * *

"I can't believe the Awakened are consorting with demon princes," Rispy mutters as we trudge into a tunnel behind Ellhrah's tomb. "I know most of them probably don't even realize it, but it still casts a-- a taint on everything we've accomplished." 

I stop by an obelisk flanked by glowing runes and pits of lava, and read the words aloud. "Realm of the Bound One. Come be devoured and feed the glory." 

"This would explain the problems in Ellhrah's tomb, I think," Tom comments. 

Among the more conventional guardians we encounter, such as spectres and golems, we also run across ornks that spray acid and explode. 

"Okay, the golems and whatnot are just tough, but this is sick and wrong," Cassie says. "Just when you think you've seen the most ridiculous, bizarre, heinous thing possible, the world proves you wrong, I suppose." 

"And I thought exploding roamers were bad..." I mutter, working on healing my acid burns. 

Further in, we encounter a human man, a warrior, who seems completely mad and babbling about serving the Bound One and slaying us in the name of his master. Cassie simply raises her hand and strikes him with a Kill spell. 

"Let me guess," Cassie says, shaking her head a little at the corpse. "This Bound One is probably another demon, right?" 

"Can't be certain," I say. 

"It would not surprise me," Tom says. 

In the next chamber, we free some ghosts that the Bound One was tormenting, who confirm its identity as a demon and give us some advice on fighting it. I have Tom stun me before we continue. This definitely sounds like it could be bad news. 

We head into the master's chamber. The Bound One appears to be a demon contained in the shell of a golem. It doesn't even seem to have noticed us yet. I frown a little, and cautiously walk up toward the creature, prepared for a fight. 

"Visitor," the Bound One says. "Weak. Not a threat. Will spare, if it behaves." 

"How did you get here?" I ask. 

"Summoned. Captured. Imprisoned by foul Barzahl. Tried to control me. He could not. No one can hold me. Fled." 

"So, the Barzites are summoning demons too?" Gellert says, snorting softly in amusement. 

"Must break free," the Bound One goes on. "My spirit, tied to rock. Want to be free. Want to fly. This space is tiny. Too tiny." 

"Maybe we can get you back to your infernal home," I comment. "We'd just need to destroy this stone shell." 

"No," the Bound One says. "Trickery. Lies. Will destroy you." 

The Bound One attacks, and we find ourselves fighting for our lives. We hold nothing back, showing the golem with the most deadly spells we know. Tom's battle alpha gets squished rapidly as though it were a mere thahd. But even the Killing Curse has no effect upon the creature, perhaps because it's not actually alive to begin with. 

I realize pretty quickly that this isn't a fight we're going to win. "Rispy! Run for it! We'll cover you!" 

"But--" 

"No buts!" I snap. "You don't need to die, too." 

Rispy hesitates for another moment before popping off one more reaper thorn at the golem, and then he turns and breaks into a run down the passage we came in from. The demon is too occupied with me to care much, and I try to keep his attention for as long as possible to give Rispy a head start in case it decides to chase him. The powerful stone fists pulverize me, shattering my skull. 

* * *

I wake with a groan and rub my head. "Alright, what do you say we leave the Bound One alone for the moment?" 

"That... would probably be for the best," Gellert says. "Cassie's the only one of us that's been modified." 

"And stronger creations would help as well," Tom says. 

"As would me wearing a helmet," I comment. "Oh, and Rispy? Next time I tell you to run... don't hesitate. Please." 

Rispy looks at me in puzzlement for a moment before piecing together what must have happened. "You got killed?" he says in surprise. 

"We were no match for the Bound One," I say. "I think you managed to get away, though." 

"This is so very confusing," Rispy says. 

"Just go with it," Tom says. "If it helps, just think of it like we can see the future and avoid disaster." 

"Right..." Rispy says. 

Perhaps it would have been best not to take Rispy along after all. It was a lot easier to deal with when I didn't need to worry about any of my companions. 

We Apparate back to Triola and decide to explore the marshes around there a bit more. At a nearby crossroads, we come upon a camp of armed serviles. 

"We Takers!" says their leader. "You no pass here. You come close, and you die!" He tries to sound bold, but I can sense a note of fear in his voice. He clearly doesn't want to have to fight us if he doesn't have to. 

"Wait!" I say quickly, not wanting to kill any Takers if I don't have to. "We're allied with the Takers." 

"You have pass?" asks the leader. 

Rispy steps up and says, "I Taker. I have pass." He pulls a strange token with feathers on it from his robes. 

The Takers nod to that, and the leader says, "You Taker. You can go. Taker allies too." 

We move on past the guarded crossroads, and once we're out of earshot, I ask Rispy, "Where did you get that?" 

"My commander back in Triola gave it to me," Rispy says. "They'd found it on a Taker they'd killed." 

Walking through the swamp really isn't much of a break after all the poking around caverns and getting killed by demons that we'd been doing. At least there are things to kill to take our frustration out on that don't kill us back. In another stretch of marsh, we come upon a large group of serviles camped around a fire. 

"Shapers? Shapers die!" 

"Wait! We have pass!" Rispy says, holding up the feather token again. 

"That Taker pass. We not Takers!" 

"Barzites, then?" Gellert wonders. 

"No! We cult of High Vizzendra! Now you die!" 

"Cultists?" I say. "Fine, we can kill cultists." 

There's a number of serviles, including one caster, but they're really no match for us. Tom had replaced his battle alpha to serve as a meat shield, and Cassie pours out powerful spells to sweep them away, along with Gellert's and mine. 

We head in to explore the nearby fort and exterminate more of the mad cultists. Even Rispy doesn't seem to have any problem with slaughtering them, and they're all clearly insane. That part is confirmed when we find a small library in the warren. Along with useful books on magic, there's also one describing the meditation rituals and litanies the serviles here used to attain magic without any modifications whatsoever. 

"They drove themselves mad just to learn magic," I say quietly. 

"I can't say that some of the Squibs in our world wouldn't have done the same if they had found a way," Cassie says softly. 

Elsewhere in the fort, we find a couple of canisters, which Gellert quickly claims, and a package of herbs marked for Medab. We also come upon some writings that indicate that one of the serviles we just killed was apparently named Eko Blade. He was a Taker back on Sucia Island. How did he wind up getting caught up in these cultists? Well, it just cost him his life. I have to feel a little bad about that, but I already feel bad about killing serviles in general, cultists or no. 

In the back of the warren, we find a ritual chamber with a circle of runes, filled with a number of servile casters. One lucky shot from their leader slays Tom's battle alpha before they go down. 

"Why do I even bother?" Tom mutters, looking at the pool of essence that had been his creation. 

"Because it beats one of us getting hit," Gellert says. 

I take a look through a book on a nearby pedestal detailing notes on the magic they were using, trying to figure out what they were using this ritual chamber for. I just have to sigh when I realize what they were doing. "Guess what? They were summoning demons too." 

"Oh, for Merlin's sake," Cassie mutters. "Does _everyone_ in these crazy mountains summon demons?" 

"Well, we don't have any evidence thus far that the Shapers or the Takers have been," Tom says. "That could still change." 

"I don't see what your problem with demons is," Gellert says. 

"I said, don't remind me," Cassie replies. 

"It's just something that's never really a good idea to get involved in," I say. "Bad news. Trouble waiting to happen." I shake my head. "I think I've had enough of dealing with demons for one day. Let's just grab all the loot we can find, dump it on the nearest merchant if we don't want to keep it, and go back to headquarters for the night." 

"Hmm, this looks interesting," Gellert says, picking up a focusing orb from the pedestal in front of the summoning circle and tucking it away in his bag. 

"At least they didn't actually have any demons _present_ that we had to fight," Rispy comments. 

"Thank fuck for that," I say. "I don't like having my head crushed in." 

"Get a helmet," Tom suggests. 

* * *

"That was awfully nice of you to return that servile's book, Gellert," Cassie says. 

"She didn't even give me anything for it," Gellert grumbles. "At least the herbalist paid for his package being returned." 

"You did it just for pay?" Cassie says. 

"Why else would I do it?" Gellert says. "Maybe it's just as well that we never found those ornks. They probably got blown up by exploding roamers." 

"Gellert, there's something you should know," I say. 

"What's that?" 

"You're glowing." 

"Huh?" Gellert looks at me oddly, flashes of unnatural light within his eyes. Was that what I looked like after I'd spent a while on Sucia Island? No wonder people had been so wary of me. 

"Your skin. Your eyes. The canisters are making a mark on you." 

Gellert grins broadly. "Excellent. I'm becoming more powerful by the day." 

"I don't know that I'd call it excellent..." I murmur. 

"You're just jealous of my might!" Gellert snaps. 

I sigh softly. "Relax, Gellert. That's the canisters talking. Keep control over yourself." 

Gellert looks as though he's going to get angry, but then Cassie puts a hand on his shoulder gently, and he calms down a bit and looks at her. "Right... No more outbursts from me." 

"Do the canisters really change people so much?" Rispy says. 

I give a nod. "That they do." 

"Have you seen Tuldaric?" Cassie says. 

"Right, Tuldaric..." Gellert mutters. "I don't want to end up like him. Clarity? Purity? He could hardly tell what was going on around him any longer." 

"Now you see why I warned you about the canisters?" I say. 

"I'll be careful," Gellert promises. 

"So, Lexen," Cassie says, sitting back in her comfortable chair. "Were you thinking of adding Rispy to our little circle on a more permanent basis?" 

"What do you mean?" Rispy says. 

"I don't know," I say, looking at him thoughtfully. 

"I don't know if adding more soul bonds is a good idea," Tom says. "Your soul seems to be holding stable for the moment with three, however." 

I think I owe Rispy more of an explanation. "Rispy, we're all bonded together so that we can travel the multiverse together. We're immortal, sharing in one another's power. When I go back in time, they all go with me, with full memories of the events." 

"I see," Rispy says. "Although really I don't. I won't pretend to understand the half of what you talk about. I'm no caster, and all this talk of magic is a little beyond me sometimes." 

"We explore other worlds," I say. "On the worlds we've visited before, there are no Shapers, no serviles, but entirely different sorts of magic users." 

"So... everyone is free, then?" Rispy asks. 

"Sadly, it doesn't quite work out that way," Cassie says. "People always find other reasons to hate one another, to enslave or kill each other, to put themselves into positions of power over other people." 

"So we sought to explore the multiverse, to gain knowledge and power," Tom says. 

"And... you're offering to take me with you?" Rispy says. "Just because you knew me in another life?" 

"If you wish it, I won't deny you that," I say. "I would be glad to have you along." 

"I'm going to have to think about this," Rispy says. "I don't think I'm ready to make any sort of permanent commitment right now, not of the _permanent_ , eternal, immortal sort." 

"Take your time," I say. "I'll do my best not to let you get killed in the meantime." 

"Thanks," Rispy says. 

"I don't know why you even want this little servile along, anyway," Gellert mutters. "He's not even a wizard." 

"He _could_ be," I say. "But he's no less capable or intelligent than any of us." 

"I should probably be insulted at that," Gellert says. 

"Gellert," Cassie says. "Enough." 

Gellert grumbles a little and says, "Forget about it. I'm going to bed."


	13. The Way to Rising

The next morning, we actually walk out of our headquarters and head past Freegate to the southwest, starting our journey to Rising. A short ways from Rising, there is a servile guarding a gate. 

"Greetings, Shapers. My name is Squib. I guard this gate." 

"Your _name_ is Squib?" Cassie says, looking at him incredulously. "I'm sorry." 

Squib looks at her in puzzlement. "Is there something wrong with that?" 

"Just... never mind," Cassie says. 

Squib shrugs. "I should warn you, Shapers, to be careful if you're going this way. Rising is a dangerous and hostile place." 

"Thanks for the warning," I say. "What's the quickest way to get to Rising from here?" 

"The best path is probably through Clawbug Canyon, to the south," Squib replies. 

The way these people name things sometimes never ceases to make me smirk. "Let me guess. There are clawbugs in Clawbug Canyon?" 

"Yes," Squib says in all seriousness. "I'm sure mighty Shapers like yourselves should be able to handle them." 

The clawbugs in the dry canyon beyond the gate are easily handled. The next section of the valley contains acid-spraying traps, and that, on the other hand, is less readily taken care of. 

"I really hate acid," I mutter dejectedly after my third death in the valley. 

"Perhaps we should just go around this area instead," Tom suggests. 

"Good idea..." Rispy says a little uneasily, staying well back from the traps. 

I find that I'm not quite so readily getting attached to Rispy this time around. I don't know if something is wrong with me, or if I'm still feeling a little burned, emotionally, by the loss of Shanti. 

We travel on, avoiding the acid traps, and enter into an area patrolled by a large number of cryoas. They're a nuisance if anything, but in a large building further on, we find a cryodrayk. He seems to be working in an old Shaping warren, although what exactly he's doing is beyond me. 

"Shapers? New Shapers? I am Kss-Urg. Barzahl has paid me to guard this area, but I would rather not fight Shapers. Perhaps we can make a deal instead." 

"And I have no desire to fight a magnificent drayk," I say, giving the creation a bit of a bow. 

Kss-Urg's wings twitch a little, and he makes what might be a pleased hiss. "For payment, I will grant you passage through my lands. One thousand coins." 

"That is acceptable," I say, and open up my bag to start counting out the drayk's fee. 

"Bah," Gellert says. "Why do you bother? We could destroy him in an instant!" 

I cast a glare toward him. "Because _drayks are awesome_. We're not going to kill this drayk." 

"Barzahl's orders do not compel me to commit suicide," Kss-Urg says quickly. "There is no need to slay me." 

I pass over a pile of coins to the cryodrayk. "There, tribute for your hoard. Don't mind my friend." 

"Ah... you have my thanks, Shaper," Kss-Urg says. "I will make certain that the cryoas do not pester you further." 

I turn to head out of the building, grabbing Gellert's sleeve along the way and dragging him out before he can do anything rash. I don't care if we could kill this drayk or not. There's no need to do so, and I really would rather not. 

We next pass through a green valley full of freakish experimental thahds that spray acid or shoot lightning around them, and I wind up getting killed again when we get surrounded by them. 

"Whoever left these _things_ here was obviously insane," Cassie says. 

"Just because you're defying the Shaper Council doesn't mean you need to be fools," Tom comments with a sigh. 

It's growing dark by the time we reach the next town, which isn't Rising, but apparently a smaller town named Gheth. I'm too tired to want to deal with this at the moment, so we head back to headquarters for the night. 

"We're going to need to be more careful from here on out, I think," I say. "If we start running across modified Shapers who are capable of casting that Kill spell Cassie learned, then we run the very real danger of hitting a full reset." 

"And who knows what else we might find?" Tom says. "There may be creations we don't know about yet that could do the same thing, as well." 

Cassie sighs. "These mountains are starting to get to me. I don't know what's right or wrong anymore. I thought I'd stumbled upon something good in this world, with the Awakened, but now..." 

"I know what you mean," Rispy says. "I've been with the Awakened all my life. And to find out, now, that they've been keeping dark secrets... I don't know what to think, now. Learned Pinner must surely know about the demon. She had to have approved Tuldaric's plan. Why would she approve?" 

"And what if I find out even worse things about the Takers than that they've been making spawners with exploding roamers?" I say. "I don't know how I'll deal with that." 

"You're all looking for right answers where there aren't any," Tom says. "Things aren't always so easy or clear-cut. All you can do is make choices that you can live with." 

We Apparate back to Gheth in the morning. The first thing that strikes me here are the serviles. They seem like the serviles back around Shaper lands. Dumb and obedient, not smart and independent like most of the ones we've interacted with up in these mountains. That's strange. What's going on here? I know we've met serviles of Rising proclaiming their freedom toward us. Why are these ones different? 

There's a young Shaper girl looking after the serviles. She's very young, even younger than me, perhaps fourteen or fifteen. Just an apprentice. 

"Greetings, Shapers. I am Dawn. I watch the serviles." 

"Hello, Dawn," I say, giving a quick introduction. "I have to admit, I'm surprised to see... loyal serviles up in these mountains." 

Dawn casts a look toward Rispy, who returns the look unapologetically. "Yes," Dawn says. "We've made them good and obedient, like they do in the Shaper lands." 

"Don't you have independent serviles in Barzite lands, though?" I ask. 

"We do," Dawn says. "Some, brought from Sucia Island. We don't encourage them, though. We let them fight and do missions for us. They're useful in their own way. But we've been slowly replacing them with dumb, loyal serviles." 

"So much for the freedom of Rising," I say, spitting. "I'm disgusted. You're using them as surely as the Shapers would, and being less honest about it." 

Dawn looks at me in surprise. "But that's what serviles are _for_. It's a pity that these mountains have tainted your views." 

"You can't claim to be a good, loyal Shaper yourself when you're working for rebels," I say. 

"Barzahl is a brilliant man!" Dawn protests, quickly growing flustered. 

I shake my head. "I'm not going to argue this with you now. But know that, in the end, you'll find sympathy with neither the serviles nor the Shapers. Will the Barzites be strong enough to survive, never mind prevail, when they make enemies on all sides?" 

Before Dawn can manage an answer, I turn on my heel and walk away. My companions, aside from Rispy, have already wandered off, apparently. Going shopping or looking for things to do for pay, no doubt. 

After looking around a bit, Cassie comes out of the inn and approaches me. "That poor servile fisherman. Lost everything because the Barzites let those thahds loose around his home." 

"And I suppose he wanted us to go get it back for him?" I say. "I'm not going to mess with those thahds anymore." 

Cassie sniffs. "Fine, I'll go get it myself." 

I sigh and shake my head. "No, I'll go with you. I'm just complaining. Don't mind me." 

"I'm not going to drag you along if you don't want to go," Cassie says. 

"Come on, Cassie. Let's just go." 

I stalk away to a quiet corner and Apparate down to the fishing huts we'd seen near the thahd dumping ground. Cassie appears beside me a moment later. We head inside and look around, thankfully avoiding the notice of any thahds nearby. 

"There, this wasn't so hard, was it?" Cassie says, shutting the door behind us. 

"I'm sorry if I sound like I complain too much sometimes," I say. 

"It doesn't really matter, now, does it?" Cassie says. She looks under the bed and pulls out a nasty variety of thorn baton that was hidden away. 

"I don't like it when we argue." 

"And you think I do?" Cassie says, spinning around and getting up in my face. "You think I _like_ a lot of the things that you do or say sometimes?" 

"What do you mean?" I say, looking at her in puzzlement. 

"You're looking to slaughter the Shapers!" Cassie says. "And Tom wants to rule the world! And Gellert just wants to be all-powerful! I don't know why I even agreed to any of this. I don't know why I came along with any of you. I'm traveling with three Dark Lords..." 

"We're not--" 

"I don't care about the technicalities!" Cassie snaps. "You're as bad as anyone in my family ever was!" 

"Cassie..." I say in a strained voice. 

"Maybe I was crazy for hoping that things could have been different," Cassie says, her shoulders slumping. "That you were a good person, that cared about other people. That... that you _loved_ me..." 

"I do love you!" I protest. "I do care..." 

"And Tom... He's no different than he ever was. I thought that he loved me too. But to hear him talk sometimes, he hasn't changed. Love? Redemption? He's still the same old Dark Lord that he ever was!" 

"He's not--" 

"I don't care!" Cassie shouts. "All he wants to do is to gain power and to subjugate this world! He doesn't care about-- about helping serviles, or freedom, or any of that. He'd gladly still be a Shaper if he thought that was the best path. And do you really believe that he's just lying about having pulled the wool over Zakary's eyes? I think he actually _is_ working for Zakary!" 

"That's nonsense," I say. "Why would he lie to us?" 

"Why not?" Cassie says. "To get what he wants, of course." 

"But he doesn't have to put up with Zakary in the next life," I say. "I'd think we're the last people in the multiverse that he'd want to annoy." 

"But what if we never found out about it?" Cassie says. "Or-- or-- I don't know..." She sighs. 

I put my arms around her and hold her close. "Cassie... I swear to you, I will always love you, and I will never do anything to intentionally disappoint you. Until the end of time..." 

Cassie sighs softly and wipes the moisture from her eyes. "Eternity is not my heart's desire. Come, let's get back to Gheth." She breaks away from me, and without another word, she Disapparates. 

I sigh. I don't pretend to understand that conversation, or what's really going on in Cassie's head. I Apparate back to Gheth myself. Cassie's already heading back into the inn to give the servile his baton, so I follow after her. 

"Thanks for that," the servile says, tossing her a small pouch. "This will make traveling a lot safer for me." 

I turn and leave the inn again without saying anything. I locate Tom and Gellert, and say, "Let's go. We've still got a ways yet to travel before we get to Rising." 

"Something wrong?" Tom asks me quietly as we're heading for the gates. 

I shake my head. "It's nothing." 

"Isn't it?" Tom murmurs. 

"Just... never mind, alright?" I say, sighing. 

"Very well," Tom says. "If you wish to talk, I'm here for you." 

At least I still have one person with me who isn't judging me or arguing with me about anything. My heart aches a little at that very thought. I'm starting to wonder if this had all been a mistake. It had seemed like such a wonderful idea, to be able to bring people with me. And now I'm not so sure. What will I do if Rispy decides to ask for this as well? Could I, in good conscience, refuse him? 

It's another day's journey before we reach Rising. Thankfully, aside from killing some fire-spitting worms, this leg of our trip has been less eventful. Probably because I've been demoralized enough at the moment to not even bother exploring very far from where we absolutely need to go. 

Back at headquarters for the night, we eat a meal of fruit and ornk meat quietly. I know I'm angsting, and I keep hoping that Gellert will kick me out of it already. That _someone_ will say something to make everything better. But the tension at the table is so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Where did everything start to go wrong? 

"Alright, enough," Rispy finally interjects. "What is _wrong_ with all of you today?" 

"Nothing," Gellert says. 

"Don't give me that," Rispy says. "You lot have hardly spoken two words to one another since we left Gheth." 

"Maybe it just hasn't been a very good day," I say quietly. 

Gellert snorts softly. "Says you. I'm looking forward to checking out Rising and finally meeting Barzahl." 

"He summons demons and enslaves serviles!" Cassie snaps. 

"He's supposed to be a brilliant Shaper," Gellert says. "And if we're _really_ intent upon killing him at some point, nothing says we can't gain whatever we can from him before then. And I'm dying to poke around Radiant College, too. I have to wonder what secrets they're keeping _there_." 

Cassie sighs and rubs her head. "Forget about it. Just... never mind. I don't even care anymore." 

We head off to bed, and Tom takes me aside to speak with me in private. "I suspect that we have a small problem." 

"What is it, Tom?" 

"I think Gellert's and Cassie's modifications have been adversely affecting them," Tom says quietly. 

I sigh. "I've been suspecting as much. Cassie hasn't been using canisters, but who knows what effect that device in the Magus Complex might have had?" 

"You and I still seem fine," Tom says. "You've just seemed more... depressed, than irritable, if you'll forgive my saying so." 

"I was depressed because I had an argument with Cassie," I say. "Over nothing, so far as I can tell. Or anything. Or everything. I don't really know." I sigh. 

"I see," Tom says. "I think I'm going to have to pass on getting any modifications, even if the opportunity arises. I don't like anything outside of my control influencing my actions." 

"Agreed," I say. "I just have to wonder how much longer we can keep the peace." 

"As long as we have to, my dear. And we can just hope that they will be alright in the next life." 

"I hope so, too." I have to chuckle softly, and I rest my head upon his shoulder comfortingly. "I never would have thought that you would be the rock of sanity in this group." 

Tom puts his arm around me and pats me on the head gently. "I've been staying quiet and trying not to antagonize anyone anymore than necessary." 

"You somehow managed to antagonize Cassie anyway," I say. "She thought that you were actually working for Zakary and were going to betray us. I thought that was absurd." 

"Me? Work for Zakary?" Tom actually has to laugh aloud at that. "Yes, I do believe that she is growing delusional. Perhaps I should kill Zakary sooner rather than later to make a point, although I didn't want to make my move just yet." 

"I think it'll be fine, for the moment." 

"You sure? One Avada Kedavra and the problem is solved." 

I tense involuntarily. "Could you at least call it the Killing Curse instead of saying its actual name?" 

"The Curse That Must Not Be Named?" Tom jokes. "You Know What?" 

I snicker softly and plant a kiss on his lips. "Thanks. I needed that." 

"I think I know something else you need, too," Tom says coyly. 

"Abyss, yes." 

* * *

We Apparate over to Rising the next morning after breakfast. I'm feeling much better today, and my party seems calmer today as well. We split up to look around the place. 

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going straight to talk to Barzahl first," Gellert says, and heads off. 

"Perhaps I'd better stick with you, Lexen," Rispy says. "This place does not seem too friendly to my kind, to go wandering off on my own." 

As Tom and Cassie each head off in different directions, I go over to poke into some of the buildings just north of Rising. Rispy follows along after me, looking a little nervously at any of the humans in the vicinity. 

In one small building set out of the way, an armed servile looks to be packing, getting ready to leave at any moment. 

"Leaving?" I say. "I don't blame you. I already want to leave, and I just got here." 

"Ah, Shaper! I was hoping to speak with you before I left. I am Rior, of the Takers." He looks over at me, then casts a wary look at Rispy. 

"I'm Lexen," I say. "Not a Shaper." 

"I'm Rispy. Of no faction." 

I have to admit that I'm surprised that Rispy would deny his former allegiance so quickly. Did the demon incident really shake him up so badly? Although he'd always been on the verge of being pushed over to the Taker side, even on Sucia Island. 

"I see," Rior says. "I've been here, spying for the Takers. My work here is done, so I'm leaving now, before they discover me and kill me. We're on the brink of all-out war, and soon this land will become very dangerous." 

I give a nod. "I'm not surprised. I don't like the direction the Barzites are headed in, myself." 

"I wished to tell you, not all Shapers need to die," Rior says. "If you were to give up your evil arts and ally yourself with the Takers, you may yet be spared." 

"Spare?" I say. I give a bark of laughter at that. "My life is unimportant. I fight for freedom for all beings." 

It's easy to be brave when you can't die. If anything like Dementors turned up around here, I can imagine I would suddenly become a lot less brave. 

Rior blinks at me in surprise. This was clearly not the answer he was expecting. "Then come to Zhass-Uss, and meet with Syros. Head through the pass to the north. You might want to avoid any serviles you might run across along the way, however. Many of them may attack you on sight merely because they see a Shaper." 

"We have a pass," Rispy says, showing him the feather token. 

Rior glances at it and nods. "That may help, although not all will recognize it." 

"I don't intend to kill anymore serviles than is necessary," I say. I'm still feeling a little guilty about killing the servile cultists near Triola, and they were mad demon summoners. 

"Then, be careful. I would suggest leaving as quickly as possible. You do not want to be caught up in what is happening here." 

"I will certainly try," I say. My friends might be less agreeable to that, but Rior doesn't need to know about my intra-party conflict. "Have a good journey." 

I head over to check out a small inn. There's a drunken servile sitting at one of the tables who seems to be drowning his sorrows. I call for another round of drinks for both of us as well as Rispy. Rispy sits down along with us and looks intently at the ale he's brought for a moment before taking a swig. 

"Shaper buy me ale? Not take more from me?" 

"I'm not going to take anything from you. And my name is Lexen." 

"Zoka," the servile introduces himself. "Thanks for ale." He takes a long drink of his mug. "Was smith. Lost smithy. A human wanted it. So a human got it. Barzahl lied. Barzahl lied to me. Broke promise. Took away what I had." 

"Sounds like you've had a rough break," I say. 

"Was good smith," Zoka says. "Learned on Sucia Island." 

"Were you a Taker?" Rispy asks. 

Zoka shakes his head. "No. Not Taker. Not any sect. Just smith. Worked. Made tools. Made weapons. Sold them. Bought metal. Made more." 

"So what happened with your smithy?" I ask. 

"Guardian wanted it. Krogst," Zoka practically spits the name. "Broke my tools, too. Melted them. Want something bad to happen to Krogst. Want Krogst to pay." 

"You're drunk, Zoka," I say softly. "Perhaps you should keep that sort of talk quiet." 

"I know," Zoka says, sighing. 

"And if something unfortunate were to happen to Krogst in the near future, it certainly wouldn't have been because of something you said," Rispy says. 

"Can pay. Can offer treasure. Not completely poor." 

"Keep your treasure," I say. "You need it more than us. In fact, here." I pull out my bag of holding and offer him some coins and gems. "I'm afraid I don't have any smithing tools in here, but I can probably get some for you." 

"Shaper do that for me?" Zoka says, looking at me in surprise. 

"Lexen. My name is Lexen. I'm not a Shaper anymore. I was barely one to begin with." 

I wave over the servile innkeeper to bring over another round of ale for us. As she's bringing it, I notice that she seems very worried for some reason. 

"Is something wrong?" I ask her. 

"No, of course not," the servile replies. She's not very good at lying. 

"Something's bothering you," I press. "Can you tell me what it is? And I'm sure it can't just be the fact that Zoka is drunk and indiscreet." 

"No, not that." She smirks a little. "I'm afraid that I've just been a little distracted, ever since my mate, Tiree, was taken away." 

I frown. "Why was he taken?" 

"I do not know. He must have said something to annoy a Shaper. But now he's being held in the Rising jails." 

"I'll go check it out," I say. 

"Oh, I wouldn't want to bother a Shaper with my petty troubles. But if you happened to be in the area and could tell him that Degena loves him, it would be most appreciated." 

"I'll do that," I say, tossing her a tip. 

Rispy's already pushing his mug over toward Zoka. He must not like the alcohol very well. "You can have mine." 

I chuckle. "And mine. Enjoy, Zoka. We'll be back." I stand. 

I head out of the inn and along into Rising proper, Rispy following behind me. Rising's walls are strong and freshly built, and they definitely look to be preparing for a siege. The place is full of battle creations and drayks, all of them tightly kept under control, and a strange humming, buzzing sensation permeated the air. It's irritating to me, but it makes Rispy positively twitch. 

"What is that?" I murmur. 

"I don't know," Rispy says. "But I don't like it. It's making it a little hard to concentrate. I bet it's keeping all these battle alphas and things under control. If I were one of them, if I had less will of my own, I wouldn't be able to fight it, I don't think." 

The few humans I can see, for the most part, seem to bear signs of heavy canister use. I can tell it by the faint glow some of them let off, and others, by the look in their eyes. The telltale arrogance, the difficulty in concentrating, irritability, the subtle hints of madness. 

I can see, even without speaking to Barzahl, what he's doing here. He wants all the power of Shaping for his own, without any thought of self-control. He would dominate others with canister-augmented insanity. A dangerous, volitile situation if I've ever seen one. 

After some searching, we locate the Rising jail and head inside. The levers controlling the doors are locked with heavy chains, but nothing that a quick unlocking spell can't deal with. In one of the cells, there's a servile slumped in a chair. At least he doesn't look hurt, just hungry. 

"Shaper. Shaper. I am Tiree. I repent. I will obey." 

He clearly must not have seen Rispy behind me. I say, "I'm Lexen. Why were you locked up in here?" 

"I didn't obey. They wanted to tear down my home. I struggled. They locked me in here. They tore down my home to build this jail." 

I sigh. That would be amusing in its irony if it weren't so horrible, I think. "Degena sent me. She says she loves you." 

For a moment, Tiree's eyes flicker with hope, and a faint smile crosses his face. "Yes. Thank you. Tell her to wait. They say I will be free again soon." 

I shake my head. "I could get you out of here right now." Who knows that these mad Barzites won't just kill him on a whim instead? 

"No. No, I can't. They might hurt Degena." 

"I could get both of you away from here, far away from here, in the blink of an eye," I say. "I could take you somewhere safe." 

"You-- You could?" Tiree says. "You would do that for us?" 

"He could," Rispy says, poking his head in. "He could take you to Medab. It's not perfect, and I don't agree with everything the Awakened are doing, but at least you'd be safer there for the moment." 

"Shaper, you are too kind to offer this," Tiree says. 

"I'm not a Shaper. And that's why I do it." I offer him my hand. "Here. Take my hand, and we'll be gone from this place." 

Tiree hesitantly reaches out and takes my hand. I grasp Rispy's arm in my other hand, and Apparate us to Degena's inn just outside of Rising proper. 

Zoka and Degena both blink in surprise at our sudden appearance in the middle of the inn. "T-- Tiree?" Degena says, rushing up to her mate and hugging him tightly. "You're alright!" 

"Degena!" Tiree says. "This-- This man, Lexen, has offered to take us away from here. He said he could take us to Medab." 

Degena's eyes widen, and even Zoka is listening with interest through his drunken haze. "Really?" 

"Really," I say. "I wish I could do more for you. Medab isn't entirely safe, either. But it's certainly better than here." 

They might get sick and die there tomorrow. They might get invaded by one or another enemy and be slain in battle. But anything would be better than having their lives destroyed by the oppressive Barzites. 

"Can you take me, too?" Zoka asked. "Get me away from here?" 

"I can," I say. "I'll take you one at a time. I don't think I want to try to teleport everyone at once." 

One by one, I take Tiree, Degena, and Zoka to just outside of Medab. Rispy opts to wait in the inn for me to be done with that. I hope that they'll be well there. I just saved them a trip of several days across dangerous lands. Once done, I Apparate back to the inn, and then take Rispy and Apparate back to the prison. Anyone outside saw a Guardian and a servile walk in, and they'll see a Guardian and a servile walk out again.


	14. Redefining Madness

Leaving the jail, I look around to meet up with the others. Maybe I should just head back to headquarters and wait for them there. I don't like Rising, and I don't want to spend anymore time here than necessary. But if they might need my help with something, I want to be ready to give it. 

I don't know where Tom or Cassie might be, but Gellert had said he was going to see Barzahl. Maybe he's still there. I don't know how eager I am to meet this madman, but I suppose it couldn't hurt. It's not like we've gone out of our way to make an enemy of him just yet. 

I step into the large hall in the center of Rising, and go down the hall to where Barzahl's audience chamber is located. 

A man in blue shaping robes, glowing brightly, power practically washing off of him in waves. Glowing eyes cold and detached, looking at me like I'm nothing more than an insect. 

I recognize him instantly. 

I remember seeing this face before, hurling a Kill spell at me, ending my last life in this world. 

Barzahl. He said his name was Barzahl, then. I'd forgotten it entirely until now. I don't even remember why I was fighting him. I just remember that he killed me. 

"Barzahl," I say, my voice devoid of any emotion. 

In the corner of my eye, I notice Rispy is hanging out in the doorway to the audience chamber, clearly not wanting to come in. I don't blame him. I don't want to be here either. Gellert isn't here, but there's a Guardian standing by Barzahl's side, a mountain of a man, heavily augmented himself. 

"Ah. One of the new Shapers has come to see me," Barzahl says. "You wish to speak with me as well? I met your companion, Gellert. The canisters have made him strong. You do not appear to have partaken of them nearly as heavily?" 

"I've used them," I say. "And then I chose not to use them." 

"I see," Barzahl says. "You would deny yourself that power? Why?" 

"Choice. Your way will lead you only to madness. But it is not my desire to fight you today." 

Barzahl gives me a long look. "You reject the path to ascension? I understand. You are afraid. But look around. See what we can offer you. I am certain that you will reconsider. Perhaps you should try some more of the canisters. They will clarify your thoughts." 

"No," I say. "That path is not for me. You seek only improvement of the body, and neglect the improvement of the mind and soul." Barzahl opens his mouth to speak again, but I hold up a hand to stop him. "No more arguments. I will not hear them. I came seeking my friend, Gellert. Do you know where he is?" 

"Very well," Barzahl says, conceding. "He has joined the Barzites. I was going to test him, to prove that he would be loyal, but he was very convincing, and I could not refuse him. He has gone ahead into the Radiant College." 

I give a nod, carefully containing the rage boiling within me. It would not do to attack this man now, nor to give any hint that I fully intend to slay him in the future. No matter what Gellert might say about it. I don't know what it would take to kill such a heavily augmented body, though. He's probably tough as a steel wall, quick as lightning, deadly as molten lava. 

"Thank you," I say, beginning to turn to leave. 

Before I can go very far, Barzahl says, "Be warned that we will not tolerate anyone standing against us. If you make yourself our enemy, you will be destroyed. If you step aside and do not stand in our way, you will be spared." 

I stop and look over at him again. A thousand things come to my mind that I could say. That I don't really care what he does. That I would not even wish to seek to oppose him if it weren't for the way he were treating serviles. But I hold my tongue and keep my own counsel. He does not need to know my true motivations. If he's foolish enough not to have paid attention to my actions, then I'm not going to tell _him_ why I fight. It's not like he's going to listen or change his ways, anyway. 

"Understood," I say simply, and quickly leave the room. 

Rispy lets out a sigh of relief as we leave the building. "The buzzing is worst in there," he says softly. "And I don't like the look of that one." 

"Agreed," I say quietly. 

On the way out, we run into Tom and Cassie. "Oh, there you are, Lexen, Rispy," Cassie says. "Have you seen Gellert?" 

"He went to the Radiant College," I say. "I was just heading there to find him. Did you guys learn anything interesting?" I toss up a privacy spell to make sure nobody overhears us, but I doubt that the battle alphas or augmented lunatics would notice, anyway. Paranoia. 

"They make canisters here, apparently," Cassie says as we head for the gates. 

"And it's no wonder that everyone here seems a little unstable," Tom adds. 

"I snuck back behind their canister facility and poked around in places I wasn't supposed to be a bit," Cassie says. "They have machinery back there that helps to control the creations around here." 

"If we ever wanted to attack this place, someone familiar with Shaper mechanics could sabotage the equipment to our advantage," Tom says. 

"Is that a hint?" I say. 

Tom grins. "Merely a tactical observation." 

"There aren't many trained Shapers here," Cassie says. "It seems like Barzahl just gave them some canisters and expected them to be able to do the job. They were merchants and caravan guards before!" 

"Alright, established point of fact: Barzahl is crazy," I comment. 

We head inside the Radiant College, canceling the privacy spell. A woman near the entrance stops us and says, "Stop! We can't allow any outsiders in here without permission." 

"Barzahl _sent_ me here," I say. "And our friend came on ahead of us. Gellert, have you seen him?" 

"Oh. Well. I suppose it's alright for you to be in here, then. But I'll be confirming it with Barzahl. Yes, your friend came in here. He should be somewhere around here still." 

After looking around a bit, we find Gellert in a research hall with one of the Shapers here, practicing spells. No doubt he wouldn't turn down the opportunity to try to learn something. 

As I go to approach him, I spot a bizarre creation float by. It looks like a large purplish ball with a huge eye in the middle, and several tentacles with smaller eyes on the ends. I can't help but stare as it goes by, and chase after it. 

"Excuse me," I say. "But, what are you?" 

"I am a gazer. My kind were created by Barzahl, to serve the Barzites. My name is Siakus Eye." 

"A... gazer," I say. Well, that's about as uncreative a name as I've heard since Clawbug Canyon. "What do you do here?" 

"I protect the Radiant College," Siakus Eye says. "Do not cause trouble, for I have been given great power with which to do my duty." 

"What sort of power?" I ask. I have to wonder just what a floating eyeball could possibly do. Did they give it some sort of magic? 

"I can bring death to any unwanted intruders instantly," Siakus Eye says proudly. 

My heart skips a beat. "Barzahl... made creations that can cast Kill spells?" 

"Not as such," Siakus Eye says. "It is an inherent part of my being, not a mere spell." 

"I... see," I say. 

I already knew that Barzahl was crazy, but now I know that he's completely and utterly _insane_. I turn around and see that Tom, Cassie, and Rispy have followed me, and from the looks on their faces, I can tell that they have also come to the same conclusion. 

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Siakus Eye," I say. "We'll be sure not to cause any trouble, kay?" 

I quickly move away back to where Gellert was. One more thing to be concerned about in this world. Augmented Shapers, and now _gazers_. 

"So, the Barzites made that thing?" I say. 

"Yeah," Gellert says. "Fenen here has been telling me about the new creations the Barzites have designed. Gazers, rotghroths, and drakons." 

"Drakons?" I repeat. Another dragon variant, I assume. 

"There's one standing over that way," Gellert says, pointing off vaguely. 

I go over to take a look, and my jaw drops at what I see. A massive creature, like a humanoid dragon, standing on its hind legs so that its head nearly reaches the ceiling. It also appears to be under tight control, and doesn't even so much as twitch as I stare at it. 

"Alright, I'm going to go over into the 'Barzites Only' section," Gellert says. "You guys can't follow me in there. I'll meet you back out here in a bit, alright?" 

"Sure thing," I say, watching him head off. I'm still a little unnerved about the gazer. 

"Perhaps you could assist me," the Shaper, Fenen, says. "I'm looking for someone willing to test a rotghroth for me, but I'm distressingly short on volunteers lately." 

"What's a rotghroth, anyway?" 

"A modified battle alpha," Fenen explains. 

"Well, alright, I'll check it out." 

He directs me to the room where the rotghroth is located, and out of paranoia, I have Tom stun me before stepping inside and letting the creature out of its vat. 

It's much thinner than a battle alpha, almost skeletal, but also taller. It emits a horrible smell like rotting flesh, and the pores on its skin seem to ooze with acid. The creation shrieks at me madly, and raises its hands to attack me. I cringe back in disgust, unable to bring myself to attack this horrible thing. Thankfully, Cassie is on the ball, and raises her hands to incinerate the monster. 

"Ugh... ugh ugh ugh," I say as Cassie makes sure the corpse is completely obliterated. "Okay, making the gazers was insane, making the drakons was kind of cool, but making the rotghroths was just... fucking demented." 

Rispy looks as though he's about to vomit. "No... kidding." 

Tom sighs. "It's things like this that make the Shapers look good." 

"I can't argue with that," Cassie says. 

We go back out to Fenen's lab. "Your disgusting monstrosity attacked me on sight and died just as quickly." 

"Ah. I see," Fenen says. "We still haven't resolved the control issues, clearly. Thank you for the assistance. I'll unlock one of the storage rooms for you for a reward." 

"Canisters?" I ask. 

"Yes," Fenen says. "Canisters are the typical reward for doing anything for the Barzites." 

"I'm sure Gellert will be pleased," I say. "He can have them." 

"Are you certain that you do not wish them for yourself?" Fenen asks. 

"I don't want them." Cassie and Tom murmur agreement. 

"Very well," Fenen says. "I'll let him know if I see him, then." 

We go to look around the school a bit more. There's a library, including a strange section with scrolls that make no sense. They have labels, like "Servile", or "Vlish", or "Rabbit", along with lengthy sections of... something. Long strings of letters, but only four different ones. It doesn't really make much sense to me. 

I also run across a book on languages, and Cassie comes over and says, "Say, is there anything here that might be useful for Sharon's book?" 

"Let's see," I say, skimming through it. 

We come across references that match. Old Sucia dialect, spoken by the original tribes there. Interesting. I try to memorize what information it has on it, in hopes of reading the book or making another trip to Sucia Island. There isn't really a lot to work with, here. The book doesn't have an extensive glossary or anything, just information about it. 

"I'll take this information back to Sharon," Cassie says. "I'll meet up with the rest of you at headquarters later." She heads out of the Radiant College to Apparate over to Sharon's grove. 

After a while, we meet up with Gellert again, and Apparate back to headquarters ourselves. Cassie's already there waiting for us, munching on some dinner. 

"I learned some interesting things while there," Gellert says. "I took the opportunity to look through the Barzites' research notes. And memorize as much of them as I could. They had a lot of information about genes, how to manipulate them, how to build the devices they use to examine them and modify them. Fascinating stuff." 

"It is," I agree. "Although I have to dispute what uses they're putting it to." 

"There were a lot of people in Rising who had used canisters," Cassie says. "And not all of them were... sane. Some were liable to attack you at the slightest provocation. Others were _hallucinating_ things that they imagined were after them. It wasn't a pretty sight." 

Gellert nods. "Right. I can understand Lexen's warnings about them better now, I think. But I'll be fine. I'd hope that I have a stronger will than a random caravan guard." 

"I'm sure _they_ thought they were strong willed, too," I comment. 

Gellert grumbles. "I'm a Dark Lord! I raised an army that ravaged Europe!" 

"And I can throw off the Imperius Curse," I say. "And dominate dragons. And I _still_ had trouble with the canisters." I sigh. "The only person I saw that could really handle them, and even the Geneforge, was Trajkov. And he was... amazing." 

Gellert looks at me, and says, "You've got this look in your eye when you mention him. Did you ever sleep with him?" He smirks at me. 

"No!" I say, face burning. "I mean... not that I would have objected or anything, but well, it's not like I ever asked or anything. Or mentioned. Or... you know. I didn't..." 

Tom chuckles softly and puts his hand on my shoulder. "You were an embarrassed kid swooning over a crush you admired?" 

"Uh... something like that," I say, looking at the floor. 

* * *

"Are we going to head for Zhass-Uss next?" I ask over breakfast. 

"I think we'd best explore the area around Rising a bit more first," Tom says. 

I give a nod. "Alright." I don't want to argue about it, and at least it's the area _around_ Rising and not inside Rising itself. Still, the thought of hanging around Barzites longer than I absolutely have to makes my skin crawl. 

We Apparate back to Rising and set out of town to the south. Some ways away, we come upon an obelisk with writing on it, and I read it aloud. "These lands claimed by Phariton. Only those with permission may pass. I am above your struggles." I snort softly. "Well, someone is full of themselves, clearly." 

"A canister user, unless I miss my guess," Tom says. 

Then I see that the land ahead is protected by crystaline obelisks with glowing, swirling energy within them. "Oh, Abyss. _Pylons_. I hate these things." 

There's a servile ahead, working on repairing a pylon. Tom walks up to him and says, "Servile, who is this Phariton?" 

The servile stands up straight and delivers a clearly memorized speech. "Phariton came to these mountains with Zakary and Barzahl. He helped them and was not repaid for his efforts. He has used many canisters, and they gave him clarity. He does not know which faction sent you, but he will punish anyone who tries to take his crystals and equipment. Have a nice day." He then returns to his work. 

"Seems perfectly reasonable to me," Gellert says lightly. 

"Canister user," Tom says. "What did I tell you?" 

"I hate pylons..." I mutter as we proceed forward, peering around with paranoia and scurrying out of sight of each one as quickly as possible. 

"This isn't a cave," Tom says. "It's just a series of narrow mountain valleys. We can probably avoid most of them." 

It takes some work and caution, but we manage to get to the entrance to Phariton's stronghold. Tom stuns me, and we head inside. There's a sign that forbids sect fighting beyond this point. The outer area seems to be populated by serviles. Very strange serviles, who seem bloated with stomachs rumbling oddly. 

"What is wrong with your stomach?" Cassie asks one of them. 

"Phariton made me. He said I was new and different and special." 

"I... see," Cassie says. 

"You must not go further in," the servile warns. "You are not welcome." 

We continue further in anyway, and the serviles all blindly swarm at us, attacking us, even though they're unarmed and clearly not trained warriors. And then, horrifyingly, the serviles surrounding us all _explode_. 

* * *

I wake up at the entrance to Phariton's hall with a groan. "Abyss..." 

"Exploding serviles..." Cassie says, looking stunned, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. "Merlin, that's... that's... I have no words." 

"Wait, what?" Rispy says, staring at us and peering in at the strange serviles. "They... they _explode_?" 

"Alright, that's it. Phariton must die," Cassie says. "I'm sick of these damned Shapers and their tendancy of making living things that explode, but this, _this_ is over the line." 

"This might be a risky prospect," Tom says. "He is no doubt powerful." 

"I don't care," Cassie says. "We're immortal. We can keep trying until we manage it." 

"What if he casts Kill spells at us?" Tom asks. 

"I agree with Cassie," I say. "Also, since he's not a member of any faction, killing him isn't likely to piss anyone off, either." I glance over to Rispy. "Rispy might want to stay out of this, though." 

Rispy shakes his head. "Not a chance. I might not be immortal, but I say it's worth the risk. Phariton is a monster. He deserves to die." 

We head in again and I go up to try to talk to one of the serviles. "We're here to see Phariton. Why can't we go and see him?" 

"We must try to stop you if you go further," the servile replies. "Those are our orders." 

"Phariton doesn't like sect fighting, right? We're not here for sect fighting, though. We don't care about any of the sects." 

The servile shakes his head. "Phariton will not sell you his equipment or treasures and he will not deal with you." 

"We don't want to buy anything from him," I argue. "We just want to... talk." Discussion at the end of a blade is still discussion, right? 

"Phariton does not wish to be disturbed." 

"Let me try," Tom says, going up to the serviles. "You would have to try to stop someone if you saw them go past, right? But you don't see us. You can't see us at all." 

The servile blinks at him in confusion. "Um..." He clearly isn't sure how to respond to that. 

Gellert steps in as well and says, "We're not the Shapers you're looking for. We can move along now. Go back to work. There's nothing to see here." 

These serviles were not bred to be too smart. After a few moments, one says, "There's nobody here. Let's get back to work." They proceed to ignore us. 

We continue on into the fort, and the serviles do nothing against us this time. "How did you guys do that?" I murmur once we're out of earshot. 

"Jedi mind tricks," Gellert says absently. 

I roll my eyes. "You totally did not. You're not a Jedi. Besides, you'd be a Sith if anything." 

"Whatever," Gellert says, chuckling. 

"Creations are made to be obedient," Tom says. "And they weren't often designed to be able to handle contradictory orders from multiple Shapers. You can often trick them if you're clever and willful." 

Tom stuns me again before we head too much further in. And it's just as well, as we don't get much further than that before running across something new and horrible. We step into a room full of the most awful shrubbery I have ever had the misfortune of encountering. 

"Alright, I don't know which is worse," I mutter after waking up from the second death. "The exploding serviles, or the acid-spraying bushes." 

"You just hate acid," Cassie says. 

"We all got melted there!" I say. 

"That was unpleasant," Gellert mutters. 

"Um... Tell me you at least had me stay back?" Rispy asks. 

"You should be staying back anyway," I say. "You're wielding a thorn baton. Me and Tom's battle alphas should be in front." 

"And the alphas are expendable," Tom says. 

"Alright, let's try a different path," I say, sighing. "Fucking bushes." 

Thankfully, there are other corridors that _don't_ contain any bushes that rain acid or fire down upon us, and we make it further into the complex. We come upon a strange room with a chair in the middle and a used canister sitting in front of it, with a corridor full of used canisters next to it. 

"Man has he used a lot of canisters," Gellert says almost jealously. 

A locked lever reveals rooms nearby containing four more canisters, fresh and waiting to be used. Gellert's eyes widen and he goes to rush inside. I just sigh and don't even bother trying to stop him. He needs to deal with the addiction himself. He needs to _choose_ to stop using them, otherwise I'm not going to step in. 

"Wonderful!" Gellert says, stumbling out giddily. "Those were some good canisters! I feel so much stronger now..." 

"That's great," I say, with no feeling in it. "That's really great, Gellert. Really great." 

The next room after that is full of more of those _fucking shrubs_. After dying again, I run in screaming and hack at one of them with my sword. And then promptly die again. 

"These things are _really_ pissing me off," I growl. 

Finally, with speed and carefully destroying them at range, we make it past the bushes and at last meet Phariton. It couldn't be anyone else. He's glowing like a canister addict, and deigns to glance at us absently with a detached look that doesn't consider us the least bit of a threat. 

"Visitor. You may be here for a moment. Do not touch anything, and do not go down the east corridor, or I will destroy you." 

Tom stuns me before doing anything else, not even bothering to ask me first. Phariton doesn't seem to notice the strange behavior anyway, being engrossed in examining a large tank. He's clearly planning on making something _big_ in here. 

"We must be cautious," Tom whispers. "He is extremely powerful." 

Gellert pulls out his wand and casually says, " _Avada Kedavra_." 

The flash of green light almost seems to move in slow motion. Phariton dodges out of the way with inhuman speed and responds in kind to its perpetrator. The low thrum of a Kill spell strikes Gellert head on, and he falls over, dead. 

I don't even take the chance of continuing this fight for one second more. Rispy can run if he wants to live. I force my age down as hard and fast as possible. 

* * *

"Gellert..." I hiss as I get up. 

"Learned my lesson," Gellert says, wide-eyed. 

"I could have told you he'd probably do that," I whisper. 

I shake my head and go up to Phariton, who says, "Do not bother me with any petty sect business. I am above your foolish battles." 

"I'm not a member of any faction," I reply. 

"Perhaps not, but your companions are, from what I've heard," Phariton replies. "I am not completely isolated up here. I have heard things. I get news. Seems strange that members of different factions would travel together. Or do you intend to betray one another later?" 

"We're not going to betray each other," I say. 

"I certainly don't care about Zakary," Tom says. 

"I'm... disillusioned with the Awakened," Cassie says. 

"And I'm just using the Barzites for the canisters," Gellert says. 

Phariton snorts softly, and says, "No matter. I do not care. I will speak with you. Briefly." 

I think I might be able to play the distraction while the others find a way to kill him. But honestly, given his typical canister detachment, I doubt he'd be paying much attention anyway. Still, it can't hurt, and perhaps I can find out something useful. 

"What are you doing here?" I ask. "Making creations, I assume?" 

"Of course," Phariton says. "I don't trust Barzahl's new Shaping methods. I use the old ways, tried and true. None of this nonsense about tiny scrolls inside of creatures." 

"And you've come up to these caves to do your research away from all the sects?" 

Phariton nods. "Indeed. They are petty fools, and they destroy one another. They will bring the wrath of the Shaper Council down upon us." 

"And you've been using a lot of canisters," I say. "Where have you been getting them?" 

"I trade for them, sometimes. I make them, when I can. When I can get the materials. I do not like helping the Barzites, but I can understand using them for power. So long as you do not help in their squabbling." 

"Say, I don't suppose you could train me in anything, could you?" I ask. 

Phariton thinks on this for a moment. "Perhaps. Perhaps. But not for free. I will not help you for nothing, even if you aren't a member of a sect." He rattles off a long list of requests, from the rare to the mundane. 

"Okay," I say. I open up my bag of holding and pull out a ring of puresteel, a magical gem, some crystals, a pen and ink, and a cauldron. 

Phariton blinks at me for a moment. "You were just carrying these around?" 

"Never know when they might come in handy." 

"Yes!" Phariton says, holding up the puresteel ring. "I can make another canister now! And... oh, yes, I will teach you." 

I patiently sit in for Phariton's teachings, improving my skill with magic and creations. He doesn't seem to notice or care if the others are listening in. 

Once we're done with that, Phariton says, "Now. Enough of that. I must get back to work." He goes back over to examine his incubation vat. 

As he gets close, Tom flicks a switch on a control panel nearby. There's a massive explosion of energy, and Phariton is caught in the middle of it. His body is incinerated before my eyes, and he dissolves into a pool of essence on the floor. Is that what happens to anyone that is too heavily augmented? It's as though the canisters turn them into... creations. 

"Nice work, guys," I say, collecting my stuff and shoving it back in my bag. 

"I can't believe you were carrying exactly the things he wanted," Cassie says. 

"What can I say? I'm something of a packrat." 

"Let me guess," Tom says. "You're probably carrying one of everything in there?" 

"At least." 

"Let's celebrate Phariton's beautiful death by taking all his stuff," Gellert says. 

"I can get behind that," I say.


	15. Taking Freedom

"So, out of curiosity, Gellert, what did Barzahl want you to do?" I ask as we finally start heading toward Zhass-Uss. 

"He wanted me to steal Tuldaric's research from the Magus Complex," Gellert replies. 

"Didn't you already memorize that research?" Cassie asks. 

"Indeed I did," Gellert says. 

"So did you give it to him?" Tom asks. 

"Yes. Yes I did," Gellert replies. "They will be able to make use of the research to modify me like Cassie. And Barzahl gave me more canisters." 

"Did he want you to do anything else?" I ask, frowning a bit. I don't like the prospect of making a potential enemy stronger. 

"Then he wanted me to kill Zakary," Gellert says. 

"I can't imagine that will prove to be much of a problem," Tom murmurs. "He's not even augmented." 

"But, that can wait," Gellert says. "Zhass-Uss lies ahead." 

We quickly and painfully find out that the pass between Barzite and Taker lands is guarded by a large number of particularly nasty orange pylons. They obliterate me the minute I get in sight of them. 

* * *

"Alright, that could have gone better," I mutter, waking with a groan where Tom stunned me some ways below the pylons. 

"Perhaps there's a way around," Tom says. 

"I'm staying back," Rispy says, eyes wide. He's getting good at recognizing the signs that I was just killed. "Way back." 

As we search for another way through the pass, we come across a Guardian patrolling the road below the pass. 

"I am Krogst. I guard these lands. You are an intru--" 

A reaper thorn strikes him in the throat, and whatever he was saying gets cut off in a gurgle as Krogst falls to the ground, dying quickly. 

"Nice shot, Rispy," I say, chuckling. 

"Maybe we should try getting to Zhass-Uss through Awakened lands instead," Cassie suggests. "That route might be less well-guarded. Or at least guarded with things that will look at our token before incinerating us." 

"Good idea," Tom agrees. 

We Apparate over to Medab, and I glance around to find Zoka, now at work in a new smithy and looking quite happy in doing so. 

"Hello, Zoka," I say. "I regret to inform you that something unfortunate has happened to Krogst. And I had nothing to do with it, even. He was just standing there, trying to warn us about something or other, when a reaper thorn suddenly stuck out of his throat!" 

Rispy fingers his baton and gives a positively wicked grin. 

Zoka already looked happy enough, but now he just has to smile. "I am glad. I am glad to hear that. Maybe not all Shapers bad." 

"You look like you're doing well for yourself here in Medab," I say. 

"Yes. Thank you," Zoka says. "Degena and Tiree are well, too." 

I give a nod, smiling at him. "We'll be off now. I hope this makes up for some of the injustice that you've been subjected to." 

We head out, and Apparate over to the farthest west point in Awakened lands that we've been. From there, we head for the pass into Taker lands. 

"You didn't even ask for a reward," Gellert says. "What's the point in doing stuff like that if you're not going to get a reward for it?" 

"Gellert!" Cassie snaps. 

"He offered before," I say. "I told him I didn't need it." 

Gellert stares at me incredulously. "That sort of attitude isn't going to get you anywhere." 

"We're scavenging everything we can shove into our bags of holding and dumping it at random merchants," I say dryly. "It's not like we're that hard up for money at the moment, anyway. Never mind spending money on training and then resetting to get it back." 

"Yes... but... oh, never mind," Gellert says. 

In a grove at the edge of the swamp, we come across a group of angry, armed serviles. "Shapers! You die now in name of Takers!" They don't seem to be the least bit concerned about being outmatched. 

"Stop!" Rispy says. "I Taker. These allies. We have pass." He pulls out the feather token and shows it to them. 

The leader of the band of Takers scowls, and gestures at the others to lower their weapons. "Fine. You go by. We let traitor Shapers live. But we not want to see you more than we must." 

Rispy nods. "Good. I taking them to Zhass-Uss. They help Takers win. They help destroy Shapers!" 

The Takers nod happily in grim agreement, and we continue on toward the mountain pass. 

"Why do you start talking like that around Takers?" Cassie wonders once we're out of earshot. 

"Servile talk," Rispy says. "Make it easier for them to accept me. Not all Takers talk servile talk. But it will help, I think." 

"Why do _they_ talk like that, if they're smart like the Awakened?" Cassie wonders. 

"Choice," I explain. "They reject everything the Shapers represent, including the way they talk." 

"What I don't get is why you'd want to support beings who so clearly hate you," Gellert says. 

"They don't hate me," I say. "They hate _Shapers_." 

"Which includes you, now," Gellert reminds me. 

"Doesn't matter," I say, shrugging. "They hate Shapers, and have good reason to hate Shapers. You've seen the way Shapers treat creations. Even the rebel Shapers, the Barzites, are no better about it." 

We head up into a narrow, well-defended mountain pass, and Rispy flashes the feather token before another servile guard. They might hate Shapers, but the Takers will let us by. They must be just as desperate for allies as I remember them having been on Sucia Island. 

Walking down from the pass, we enter into barren land. Why is it that the Takers always wind up with the worst land, no matter where they go? There are signs in the vicinity that there has been a battle here recently, although it's impossible to tell who was fighting who. 

"Search the area," I say. "There might be survivors. Or remaining hostiles." 

There's the remains of an inn nearby, completely trashed. In the back room, there's what I take for a dead servile at first, but then I notice that her broken chest is still moving, still breathing. She's still alive, although not for long if she doesn't get help, and quickly. 

I step up to her and pour as much healing energy into her as I can manage. "Hang in there," I say. "Help is here." 

"A Shaper..." the servile wheezes. "Never thought... I'd be glad to see... a Shaper..." 

"Cassie!" I call as I realize that my power isn't enough to save her. 

Cassie comes running at the sound of my voice. I can keep the servile alive long enough for her to get here. She sees the servile and immediately starts channeling life-giving power into the small body. 

"What happened here?" I ask quietly. 

"Attacked... It went mad. It was going to help us." 

"What? What was?" I press gently. 

"Creation. It bends minds. Eyes... Eyes..." 

"A gazer," I hiss, my blood going cold. 

"Shapers... Avenge us," the servile begs, coughing painfully. "Please. We did wrong. Paid for mistake." 

"Hang in there!" I say. "We'll save you!" 

"Lexen, I don't know if I can--" Cassie begins. 

"Of course we can!" I say. I glance over to the door to see Tom and Gellert having come at the sound of my yell as well. "Come help us!" 

They don't argue, coming over to add their power to attempting to heal the servile as well. "There's too much damage," Tom whispers. "We'd practically have to rebuild her in order to fix her." 

"Thank you... for trying," the servile says softly. "There's no pain anymore." Despite our best efforts, she's slipping away. 

"No!" I say. "We can still save you! No!" 

But the servile is gone. Her body goes limp and she stops breathing. I grip her arm and throw back my head, screaming loudly. 

"Lexen, she's gone," Tom says. "There's nothing more we can do." 

"Yes there is!" I insist. "We can go back and try to get here sooner! What in the Abyss am I a time traveler for if I can't prevent tragedy?" 

Cassie gives a nod. "If you want to try, then let's do it." 

I age myself down and take us away from this dismal scene. 

* * *

I wake at the end of the mountain pass. We have no time to lose. I don't know how long ago the battle was, but it couldn't have been that long. I get up quickly and Apparate directly to the inn where the wounded servile was. The others momentarily realize what I've done and pop in after me. 

The servile is laying wounded in the back room of the inn. I lean down and shove healing magic into her, and my companions do likewise. 

"Shapers..." the servile whispers. "Strange to be glad to see Shapers..." 

"Shh," I say. "Don't talk. We'll save you." 

Even a few minutes might have made a difference between life and death for this poor servile. She starts breathing more easily. The healing magic is working. Maybe, just maybe, this time we can save her. I force every ounce of magic out of my body that I can, knowing full well that I'm pushing myself into magical exhaustion. 

Finally, Tom puts his hand on my shoulder and says, "Lexen. We did it. She's alright. She'll be alright." 

My head is spinning. Cassie puts a blue gourd to my mouth, and I drink down the liquid in the essence pod. 

"Thank you," the servile says. "Thank you, Shapers. I did not think I would live, after that." 

"Servile, what is your name?" I ask gently. 

"Tess. My name is Tess." 

"Tess..." I murmur. "I'm sorry that you were the only one we could save. But we will avenge the others." 

"You will deal with the eye creature?" Tess said. 

I give a nod. "We will." I sigh. "Or die trying." 

"Lexen..." Gellert says. "Is it really worth the risk?" 

I turn to cast a furious glare at him. "Don't you even _dare_ ask me if it's worth the risk. And if I hear even one word questioning why we went out of our way to save this servile, I swear to you, Gellert, you will regret it." 

Gellert takes a step back in surprise. It's rare for me to start barking orders or to lose my temper like this. 

"Besides," Cassie says. "The gazer will be a danger to everyone around it until we've dealt with it. We can't just leave it here. It could hurt anyone trying to travel through this area." 

Gellert still doesn't seem to be convinced, until Tom says, "It might have treasure." 

"Fine," Gellert says immediately, sighing. "But this had better be worth it." 

"You should probably stay here, Tess," I say. "Rest and recover your strength. This area will be safe soon. Or we will be dead." 

Tess gives a nod. "Thank you, Shapers." 

We leave the inn and head off through the wastes, through the weed-like wiry trees like those that were seen around Drypeak. I can tell when we're getting close by a strange feeling washing over my mind. Like a vlish, but much, much stronger. Tom stuns me before we go any further. 

The gazer has taken up a position on a small island in the river, linked to the shore with a narrow bridge. I'm afraid, despite myself. This creation could end our time in this world in an instant. And yet, I relax a little. Perhaps I've done enough in this world. I've gained a lot and learned a lot. There is much that could still be done, and I will regret not having helped the serviles more, but at least it has not been a complete waste of time and effort. 

"Shapers," the rogue gazer says as we approach, peering at us with its many eyes. "The Eye is pleased to test its might against Shapers, yes. Come and die, Shapers. The time of your kind is done." 

One of Tom's battle alphas is the first to fall. I move as if to charge forward and attack the gazer with the Zarnith, but I hesitate. My limbs freeze in place, and I can't bring myself to get any closer to this creature that could end me in the blink of an eye. 

"Avada Kedavra!" Gellert cries, but the gazer dodges the green flash. "Avada Kedavra!" This time he only hits one of the battle alphas that the gazer has controlled. 

_Bwwwwnn_. A horrifying sound. A black, swirling ray of death strikes Cassie, and she collapses to the ground, dead. 

No more messing around. I don't wait to get hit with the death ray. I force my age back down rapidly and leave this fight. 

* * *

"Fighting that thing is bad news," I mutter as I get up again. 

"Are we going to try again?" Tom asks. 

"It's _too quick_ ," Gellert grumbles. "I couldn't get a Killing Curse to land." 

"Maybe if we tried using a slowing or freezing spell first," Cassie muses. 

I sigh and stride up toward the gazer's island again. This was my fault that we lost and I know it. Fear held me back at the last moment. Now, I walk up to the gazer, narrowing my eyes at it and giving it a hard glare. Before it can speak a word at me, I point my sword at it and say, " _Imperio!_ " 

The gazer has a very, very strong will. I struggle against it, pushing as hard as I can with everything I have. I'm locked in a deadly battle of wills. _I am the Stormseeker!_ I think. _I am the Heir of the Children of the Dragon's Blood! You will submit!_

The eye creature refuses to back down or budge even an inch. That's not good enough. Not strong enough. How is that even supposed to be an impressive title, anyway? All you need to do to be an heir is to be born. 

_I am Darth Revan, Dark Lord of the Sith! Bow to my will!_

The gazer's will begins to crack. Yes, you cannot hope to stand against a Sith Lord. This pathetic eyebeast will become my servant... 

" _Avada Kedavra!_ " Gellert snaps off. 

A flash of green light strikes the gazer. My mind reels as the connection is broken suddenly. I feel like something in my own mind just cracked, too. I thought I saw, for a moment, a flash of an image of myself wielding a red lightsaber. Did I just imagine that, while I was thinking of myself as a Sith Lord? I stagger, and fall to the ground unsteadily. 

Cassie runs up to me and puts her hand on my arm. "Lexen! Are you alright?" 

"Ungh," I mutter. "Damn it, I almost had it..." 

"You can't be serious," Gellert says. "And even if you did manage to get control over it briefly, how long would it last? Something that mentally powerful could not stay under the Imperius Curse for long." 

I growl, and point my sword at Gellert. " _Crucio!_ " Gellert screams, but I only leave it up for a second. 

"Lexen!" Cassie says, looking at me, horrified. "Merlin, I can't believe you just did that!" 

"What the fuck, Lexen?" Gellert says. "You just fucking Crucioed me!" 

I feel something pressing in at my mind, soothing me, trying to calm me. It's Zarnith. _The gazer is dead and you were not killed in the process yourself. Be grateful to your friend. Do not take it out on him._

I let out a heavy sigh and low the sword. "Sorry," I murmur. "It's just... for a moment there, I thought I was a Sith Lord." 

Gellert blinks at me. "Well, that's the most... interesting excuse for such an outburst I can say I've ever heard." 

"A Sith Lord?" Cassie says, raising an eyebrow. "What?" 

I shake my head, unable to explain what I saw in my mind's eye. Prophecy? A vision of another timeline? Or just my imagination running away with me and getting me too deeply into my role? 

"Let's go back to Tess and move on," I say. "And stun me again. I don't want to fight that damned thing again." 

* * *

I step through the gates of Zhass-Uss, carrying a sleeping Tess in my arms, my compansions following behind me. There are large mines blocking the gate, but they appear to have been deactivated, fortunately. 

We don't get far before a young drayk intercepts us. "Syros wishes to speak with you without delay. Do not step one toe out of line while you were in our city." 

Rispy comes up and says to me, "I'll take care of her. You go meet Syros." 

I nod and gently pass Tess off to Rispy, careful not to wake her. The rest of us go to head into the large hall off to the left. The sign outside proclaims, "Leadership Hall. All Takers of Freedom are welcome." 

In the heart of the city hall, we come upon a very old drayk, with flaking scales and missing teeth, but his eyes are clear and sharp, and great power and heat washes off of him. My companions shift nervously beside me. I don't know if they really want to be here or not, but it would seem to be best to not anger the Takers. 

"Shapers," the drayk says. "I am Syros, the leader of Zhass-Uss. I am certain that you have heard that we Takers are mad. If you will, I will explain our madness to you." 

I step up and kneel down before Syros. "Greetings, mighty drayk. I am honored to meet you at last." I rise, even as Syros blinks in surprise at the gesture. "I have heard about the madness of the Takers, but not believed it. I've seen the Barzites, and I _know_ that they are mad. But the Takers? No. I do not think you are mad. The Awakened are deluded to think that they can deal with the Shapers as equals. The Shapers cannot be dealt with but by bloodshed." 

Syros gives a small puff of smoke. "So you say. So you say. You seem awfully quick to spout the words you think I want to hear, however. Why should I trust what you say?" 

"The Shapers are wrong," I say quietly. "They torment. They bad. We must take our free." 

Syros blinks at me in surprise. He clearly did not expect to hear those words from a Shaper. "So you know of our story. But what gives you the right to speak those words?" 

"I am a free being also, Syros," I say. "I will say and do what I wish, and I will defend to the death your right to say and do what you wish as well." 

"Hmm," Syros says. "But you are a Shaper. Your kind have enslaved and oppressed creations for a long, long time. Your kind made my noble race's very existence a crime." 

"The oppression of the Shapers does not end with merely creations," I say. "They oppress humans as well. Anyone that wants to learn something they aren't supposed to. Anyone that questions their will too badly. And the Shapers themselves oppress _each other_." 

Gellert nods in agreement with my words. "They might have killed me for daring to breathe a word of questioning them. For asking too many questions. For performing experiments on my own. For trying to learn more than they wanted me to learn. But in their generosity, they expelled me instead, and forbade me from using their precious Shaping powers, on pain of death." 

"This world is built upon layers and layers of oppression, all the way from the top to the bottom," I say. "The entire thing is corrupt. You want to fight to take your freedom from Shapers? Then why can _we_ not fight to take _our_ freedom from the Shaper Council?" 

"You equate your struggle with ours?" Syros says, snorting a bit of flame. 

"Our struggle is not the same," I say. "But it has been a struggle nonetheless. We spent many years hiding our true thoughts and motivations in order to be accepted as Shapers. But I never forgot my true cause. I will fight for the sake of freedom for all beings. Nothing less, and nothing more. For serviles and drayks, for men and women, for thahds and gazers and drakons and talking ornks..." 

"Talking ornks?" Cassie interjects. 

"Well, if somebody made a talking ornk, then I'd fight for its freedom, too," I say. 

"I see," Syros says. I can't be sure whether he's trying not to laugh. 

"Still," I say. "Do not trust in my words. Words can be lies. They're a cheap commodity in the market of trust. Judge me by my actions and deeds." 

"Very well," Syros says, giving a nod of his massive reptilian head. "I wished to test you to determine if you were sincere, regardless. Earn the trust of my top lieutenants. Speak with Toivo first." 

"I will do whatever I can to assist the Takers," I say, inclining my head toward him before leaving the room. 

"I'm... still not really sure about this," Cassie whispers once we're out in the corridor again. 

Tom chuckles, and glances at me. "Ah, Lexen. It's fun to watch you shout. You need to give impassioned speeches more often." 

"If I did, people would be less likely to listen when I do," I say. 

"I don't see why, especially when they're the first thing you say to someone," Tom points out. 

"True, I suppose," I say. 

We find Toivo in a room near Syros. I vaguely recognize him from Sucia Island. I spent many hours in lessons with him in Russian, so that I would be able to speak with Trajkov. 

"Toivo?" I say. "Greetings. Is there anything we can do on behalf of the Takers for you?" 

Toivo stares at me for a moment, and mutters something incoherent about Shapers. 

"Syros said to talk to you," I say. "I apologize if I'm interrupting anything. He said to earn your trust?" 

Toivo sputters a little, and says, "Me? Help a Shaper? After-- After..." 

I pause for a moment and look at him, then on a whim, I pull out an empty jar and a knife from my bag of holding. I slice open my right palm, flinching a little, and let some of my blood run out into the jar. Toivo stares at me with wide eyes. When I notice that I start feeling light-headed, I heal the wound and pass the jar over to him. 

"There," I say. "Mere apologies do not suffice. You now have the blood of one Shaper. It's not enough to pay for all that has been done to you, done to all creations. But it's a start." 

Toivo gapes at me for a moment, then shuts his mouth again. "Fine. Fine. I help you. Help you prove yourself. To northeast, we find cave. Obelisks on sides. Inside, there is idol. Get idol. Bring it to me." 

From the look on his face, I can guess that there's something he's not telling me. It's probably a death trap. That would be pretty typical, really. 

"As you wish," I say, bowing my head to him. "I'll bring you this idol." 

The four of us head out of the building. Rispy comes up to us as we head out onto the streets. 

"Tess is in good hands," Rispy says. "How did it go with Syros?" 

"We need to go get an idol from a cave to the northeast," Tom says. 

"I'm betting on 'death trap'," Gellert says. 

"I don't bet," I say flatly. 

"I estimate that there is a high chance of this being a death trap," Cassie says lightly. 

"So. Right," Rispy says. "Mind if I stay here? Look around a bit? Talk to people? Servile might find out more. They be more willing to talk to me than Shaper." 

"Good idea," I say. 

"Have fun, Rispy," Cassie says. 

"Let us know if they want anything done for pay," Gellert says. 

"We'll be back if we don't die fifty times," Tom says, not even managing to keep a straight face. 

"Have I mentioned lately that you're all insane?" Rispy comments. 

I snicker softly. "Although, it's getting late," I say. "Perhaps we should head back to headquarters and set out in the morning. Do you want to come with us, Rispy?" 

Rispy shakes his head. "I'll stay here, for now." 

I give a nod, and the four of us head out and Apparate back to headquarters to get some dinner. 

"Well, we've pretty much uncovered the dark, dirty secrets of the other factions," Gellert says. "Time to find out what all the Takers are up to next." 

"I can't even imagine what they might be up to," I say, sighing. "But I swear, if they've been summoning demons too, somebody is going to die." 

"I still don't see what your problem with demons is," Gellert says. 

I cast a glare at him. "I'm with Cassie on that one. Don't remind me." 

Gellert snickers. "Well, I'm going to stop by the Radiant College and see if they've got their modification platform working. I want to cast powerful spells too!" 

I wave absently at him, and he Disapparates. 

"I'm getting concerned about him," Cassie mutters. 

"Getting?" Tom says, smirking.


	16. Infinite Drakon

North of Zhass-Uss, we come upon a building where new creations are housed for testing, run by a servile named Learned Shath. He asks us to help out with it, and we go in and manage to calm the three creations that are being held there at the moment. 

As a reward, he opens up a door to a small storage room containing a canister. Gellert goes in and eagerly uses it. "Ahh! I can create a drakon now!" 

I stare at him for a long moment, my face twitching slightly. "I want it," I murmur. 

Gellert looks at me in surprise. "What?" 

I haven't used any canisters yet in this lifetime. And yet, the draw of this is too great. "I must have it..." I whisper. 

"Lexen, are you alright?" Cassie asks. 

"I'm fine," I say. "I just want that canister." 

"That was _my_ canister, damn it," Gellert growls. 

I don't ask again. I age myself down and reset us to the last point that Tom stunned me, right after we'd completed Learned Shath's requests, since we hadn't wanted to have to repeat that. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Gellert snaps at me. 

"Gellert, relax," Tom says. "Lexen has graciously chosen to given you every other canister we've run across. I think you can manage to spare _one_ of them if he really wants it." 

"Lexen, are you sure about this?" Cassie says. 

"I'm sure," I say. "I can handle _one_ canister." 

"Besides," Tom tells Gellert. "It's not like you were actually going to make a drakon, anyway. You have yet to make a single creation." 

Gellert grumbled unhappily a bit more, then finally spat out, "Fine. Take the bloody canister. I don't even care." 

I go back over to the storage room and step up to the canister, gazing down at the swirling greenish-blue liquid within the crystal cylinder. I hesitate for a moment. Just one canister should be alright. Just one. Just _one_. Just this one, beautiful, compelling canister. 

I put my hand on top of the canister and allow the liquid to flow into me. It tingles with energy, rushing through my body, changing me, making me just a little bit different. It's a wonderful feeling, an incredible rush. Before it's done, I find myself kneeling and trembling. 

Gellert's glare is still pinned upon me. "You'd better actually make a drakon with that." 

"You better believe it," I say. 

There was a small Shaping station nearby with platforms and essence pools. I head over there, still on something of a high from using a canister. That, and the thought of giving birth to something so wonderful and magnificent as a drakon. 

"Yes... a drakon," I murmur, grinning wildly. 

I begin to shape, calling forth essence and forming it into the basic structure of the creation I want to make. This is a complex, advanced creation, and will require a lot of concentration. I'll trust the others to keep any rogues or anything from wandering in and disturbing me while I work. Bones, muscles, scales, wings. So mighty and beautiful. But I want to make sure this creation is intelligent and fully independent, not like that drakon that we had to test who barely even had a brain. 

"Ahhh..." the drakon finally says, taking its first breath on its own and stretching out its wings. 

"Welcome to your life," I say, smiling broadly at him. "Your name is Malfoy." 

"Malfoy?" Cassie says, raising an eyebrow. 

"Because calling a drakon 'Draco' would just be stupid," I say. 

"Malfoy..." the drakon says. "I am Malfoy. Are you my massster?" 

"No," I reply. "I'm your creator. You are a free being. I will not seek to command you to do anything you do not wish to do." 

"Free..." Malfoy muses. "Yesssss..." 

"Oh, come on," Gellert mutters. "What's the point in making something like that if you don't intend to order it around and use it as a meat shield?" 

"Gellert," I say warningly. "If Malfoy decides to eat you for that comment, I'm not going to save you." 

"You're insane," Gellert hisses. 

This is not the best first impression that I would have wanted to give my newborn creation of his life. He's standing there still, watching us with confusion. 

"I apologize for my companion," I say, and give some quick introductions for Malfoy's benefit. 

The drakon nods, and turns his gaze to Gellert. "Sssso, Gellert is the one who is unhappy at my existence?" 

"He's just sore that he had to give up the canister that Lexen used to learn how to make you," Cassie says with a smirk. 

"Lexen, control your pet," Gellert says, looking decidedly nervous at the drakon looming over him. 

"He is _not_ my pet," I say. 

"Then if you won't claim any responsibility for his actions, I _will_ destroy him if he threatens me," Gellert says. 

"And then _I_ will destroy _you_ ," I warn. 

Gellert growls. "I don't need to put up with this." He steps away, and then Disapparates. 

"That can't be good," Cassie murmurs, staring at the spot where he'd been. 

"Wonder where he went," Tom says, shrugging. 

"Malfoy, just as a note, I'd prefer if you didn't hurt my companions," I say. "But Gellert has been a dick for some time, and really needs to fall in line already." 

"I ssssee," Malfoy says. 

"He'll get over it, I'm sure," Tom says. 

"He'd better," Cassie adds. 

"Sssso," Malfoy says. "What do I do now?" 

"Whatever you want," I say. "You're welcome to travel with us however long you like. We'll tell you everything you want to know." 

Malfoy nods his massive reptilian head. "Very well." 

We leave the building and continue on toward the spot Toivo had told us about. As we travel, we tell Malfoy about the situation in the mountains, about my abilities, and answer his questions as best as we can. 

As we get close to the area the servile told us about, we find ourselves very cold and constantly being attacked by ghosts. The sounds of strange horns echoing from somewhere seemed to summon them to swarm upon us incessantly. 

"This is really fucking annoying," I mutter, hacking through the ghosts with the Zarnith. 

"I really hope there's some way to turn that off," Cassie says, sighing. 

We come upon the ghost of a Guardian who tells us that we need to, of all things, _bow_ to a bunch of obelisks around the area. I agree to the request wearily, and go off to start bowing at carved bits of rock. 

"You know, I think I'm almost glad Gellert isn't here at the moment," Cassie says. "He'd be bitching that this is all a waste of time, and just kill that Guardian. Re-kill. Whatever." 

Nearby, we find the crypt Toivo mentioned, and in the back, the idol that he wanted us to get. I pick it up, peering about intently for something bad happening, but it seems alright. The statue, however, is unnaturally cold to the touch, and emits an aura that makes me feel positively horrible. 

"Is something wrong, Lexen?" Cassie says. 

I shake my head. "I'm alright. I don't know what Toivo wants with this cursed thing, but I'll be okay." 

We go back to the Guardian ghost and tell him that we bowed at all of the obelisks. "There is one more thing that must be done before the spirits of this place are appeased. The spilling of blood. You must slay me now, and finally release me from this place!" 

"But you don't have any blood," I say. "You're a ghost... Oh, never mind." I sigh and run him through with the Zarnith. "Let's get out of here." 

We Apparate back to Zhass-Uss. Malfoy is very disoriented at Apparating with us for the first time, and for a moment I think that he's going to be sick. 

"You alright, Malfoy?" I ask. 

"Yessss, yes, I'm fine," Malfoy says, peering about at our new surroundings. "I mussst learn how to do that myself. It sssseems very useful." 

Normally I would question his ability to do that, but drakons are capable of Shaping, so I wouldn't think that a little think like teleportation would be out of reach for them. 

We head into the leadership hall, and I set the idol down on a table near Toivo. I'm glad that I didn't have to carry it very far. I immediately feel better once it's out of my grasp. 

"You got it?" Toivo says, eyes widening in surprise. "But-- how did you-- how could-- it was too..." 

"It was really annoying," I say, smirking. "But if you're looking to send us into a death trap, you'll have to do better than that." I chuckle. 

Toivo sighs. "I help you. I put in word for you. But you betray us, I kill you. I do anything I can to kill you." 

"If I should betray you, then death would be the least payment for my crimes," I say, giving Toivo a bow before going in to speak with Syros again. 

Syros looks at my group and snorts a bit of flame. "You appear to have misplaced a wizard and acquired a drakon?" 

Malfoy just chuckles. "The wizard did not approve of me." 

I smirk. "We've earned Toivo's respect. Who else do we need to impress?" 

"Go speak with Amena Blade next. He was in Kazg. He fought your kind. He saw the hardships you put us through. If he truly approves of you, then I will know that you speak truth." 

"Very well," I say, bowing to Syros and heading out to find Amena Blade. 

Once outside the city hall, Malfoy decides to go off to explore this new town. We locate Amena Blade in a building, sitting at a desk, apparently doing paperwork or something. I can only guess just what sort of paperwork the Takers would be doing. No, actually, I can't even guess at that. 

"Greetings," I say. "Amena Blade? Is there anything we can do for you?" 

"No," Amena snaps. "I want no help from you or your creation slaves." 

Malfoy roars. "I am _not_ a slave! I am a free being!" 

I hold up my hand, and say, "Syros told us to talk to you before we could join the Takers." 

Amena Blade gives a harsh laugh. "You want to prove self? Fine. Go slay a leader of enemy faction. Any of them. Pinner. Barzahl. Zakary. Kill one, then I believe you. Then I think you maybe can help Takers." 

I'm not so sure about this. I waver on my feet. I had hoped that I might be able to get the factions to work together somehow. A vain, foolish hope, I know. I'm no Trajkov. I doubt I could unite these people. 

"Ah, you're back!" calls Gellert's voice from behind me as he comes up to stand in the doorway. He's carrying... a severed head in his hands. "Did you have fun with the death trap?" 

"Gellert, what have you been doing?" I wonder. 

"Oh, I was pissed off, so I went and did something useful." He holds up the head, and I recognize the face as Zakary's. He moves the mouth and says in a mocking voice, "Oh, I'm a big bad Shaper, and I feel bad about being a fucking idiot! Hur... I'm going to sit in my dust pit and do nothing but mope until the Shaper Council comes knocking on my door." He throws the head to the floor, and it rolls to a stop in the middle of the room. "Fuck him." 

I blink slowly at him, and then turn to Amena Blade and say, "Well. Um. One of the faction leaders is dead." 

"But was it really necessary to cut off his head and carry it around?" Cassie says, cringing back from the grisly trophy a little. "You probably killed him with magic anyway!" 

"You... help us," Amena says, looking surprised and finally finding his tongue again. "This will help. Make things easier on Takers." He looks at Gellert. "You not kill him for Takers, though." 

"Does it really matter?" I say. "Zakary is dead. And we're willing to help the Takers." 

"Fine," Amena Blade says. "I not care. You help. You might help more. I not oppose you." 

We head out of the building. Gellert says, "Have fun with the crazy, bloodthirsty serviles and drayks. I'll see you back at headquarters later." He Disapparates. 

"I think he killed Zakary for Barzahl," Tom murmurs. 

"You don't say," I say quietly. "I just have to wonder what Barzahl will ask of him next. And how far he's willing to go for more canisters." 

We enter into the leadership hall and return to Syros. 

"Amena Blade wanted us to kill one of the other faction leaders," I say. "And Zakary is now dead." 

"Already?" Syros says in surprise. "You weren't gone very long." 

"Our missing wizard apparently went off to kill Zakary in the meantime," I say, smirking. "So. Zakary is dead, and we're tangentally related to the cause of it. Amena Blade didn't seem to care overly much how he wound up dead, so long as he was." I shrug. 

Syros snorted a bit of fire. "Fine. I am convinced. If you still wish to join the Takers, then I will allow it." 

"I do wish to join the Takers," I say. 

"Then there is but one thing to do. You must give an oath. Repeat after me," Syros says. "I swear I will aid the Takers. I swear I will fight to take our freedom. I swear I will bring death and destruction to the wicked Shapers. I swear I will do anything and everything I can to end their tyranny." 

I drop to my knees before the drayk and speak the words without hesitation. The words I've been eager to speak again ever since I returned to this world. To my surprise, Tom follows my lead and also repeats Syros's words. 

Then, after a moment's hesitation, Cassie mutters, "In for a knut, in for a galleon." She kneels beside us and speaks the Taker oath as well. 

Syros sits back, looking well-pleased. "So let it be. Now you are Takers, and you will be until you die." The three of us stand. "What of the fourth of your number? The wizard that was traveling with you?" 

"I have no idea what he's doing," I say. "But if he moves to act against the Takers, then I will slay him myself." 

"Very well," Syros says. He passes us a fang token and a key. "Go where you will and take what you need. I will not have you fail for lacking in supplies." 

"What would you have us do for the cause of the Takers?" I ask. 

"There is much to be done," Syros says. "First, I want you to go to the lands of the Awakened, to the Magus Complex. They have been doing research on how to improve already living creations. Bring me their research." 

"I really should have tried to memorize that when I was last there," Cassie murmurs. "Gellert did, but now he's... well, I don't know." 

"We'll get that information for you, one way or another," I promise him. 

We head out of the building again and run across Rispy. "So, how'd the death trap go?" 

"It turned out to be more annoying than deadly," I reply. "Unfortunately, Gellert's being... erratic." 

"Great," Rispy says with a groan. "Just what we need, a mad canister addict. And to think that I've found some stuff for us to do for pay in town that I'm sure he'd be glad for." 

We locate Malfoy momentarily, and introduce him to Rispy. "Ah, hello, little servile," Malfoy says. "Nice to meet you." 

Rispy glances at me. "You replaced Gellert with a drakon? I approve." 

I snicker softly. "That wasn't exactly the intention, but I suppose it works out that way." 

"Why don't we head back to headquarters?" Tom suggests. "We have much to discuss." 

I nod, and the five of us head out, and we Apparate back to our heavily modified Shaping hall. Malfoy looks around the place in surprise, especially surprise that there's plenty of room for him in here, even if we needed magic to make the place so spacious and comfortable. 

"I have to admit, I didn't expect you two to join up with the Takers so readily," I say. 

"Zakary is dead," Tom says with a shrug. "And it's not like I cared about him to begin with." 

Cassie doesn't look at me, just getting some food ready. "I don't want to fight with you, Lexen. I don't want to be like Gellert. Well, I would have objected if you wanted to join up with Barzahl, but we're still fighting for servile rights here. Just in a bloodier way than I might have hoped for." 

Rispy snorts softly. "Even I don't believe that the Awakened way has any hope of working anymore." 

"Been talking to the Takers?" I ask. 

Rispy nods. "I think I can understand them a lot better now." 

"Me, I can't help but agree with the Takers, especially given that I have not seen any other viewpoints," Malfoy says. "But I can't imagine trying to deal peacefully with those who would think that I should have no right to exist." 

"Malfoy's point is valid, too," Cassie acknowledges, sighing. "The Barred intelligent creations have every right to be angry with the Shapers over their treatment. At least the serviles are allowed to live, even if they're enslaved." 

"The Awakened always got good land," Rispy says. "The Takers... have not been so fortunate." 

"The area around Kazg was poisoned," I say. "And that poison was slowly spreading. The Shapers had left a workshop there full of unpleasant materials that weren't sealed well enough to withstand the passage of centuries, and they were slowly seeping out into the ground. Maybe, if nothing were done, the entire island might have been dead eventually." 

"That's just carelessness," Tom says. "Not outright malice. However, there has been plenty of outright malice from the Shapers, too." He takes a bite of ornk and chews thoughtfully. "I can just imagine how much worse the Goblin Rebellions in our own world would have been had the goblins banded together with independent elves, dragons smart enough to talk and plan, what have you." 

"You do come up with the loveliest hypothetical situations," Cassie says. 

"What's to be done about Gellert, however?" Malfoy asks. 

"I don't know," I say. "I'm not going to let him kill you or anything, that's for sure. There was no call for him to be such an ass to you." 

"It's the canisters talking," Tom says. "And he just keeps using more and more of them." 

"He's going to wind up as mad as Tuldaric, or Phariton," Cassie says, sighing. 

Gellert appears in the room, and steadfastly ignores the drakon in the room. "Am I late for dinner?" 

"Nah, dig in," I say. "Have some ornk. Tastes like everything _except_ chicken." 

"Where've you been?" Cassie asks. 

"Keeping tabs on me now?" Gellert says with a grin. 

"I'm guessing you were telling Barzahl that you'd killed Zakary and collecting the canisters he gave you as a reward," I say. "Possibly did some more training in the meantime. And now, I would imagine that he's told you to stop whatever the Takers are working on, spy on them, or to kill their leaders or something. Am I right?" 

Gellert stares at me for a moment, and then chuckles. "Something like that." 

"From the look on your face, I'm guessing that he's pretty much spot on, yes?" Tom says. 

"Pretty much," Gellert says. 

"So you came and told us that Zakary was dead before you even bothered to inform Barzahl and got your canisters from him?" I say. "I'm touched." 

"Heh. Yes, I did," Gellert says. "And I didn't figure that Barzahl needed the, uh, severed head, either. I figured the Takers might appreciate it, though." 

"So, are you planning on following through on whatever Barzahl wants you to do to the Takers?" Cassie asks. 

"Are you planning on following through on whatever the Takers want you to do?" Gellert asks. 

"They want the information from the Magus Complex," Cassie says. "Will you give it to them?" 

"What do I get out of it?" Gellert asks. 

"Canisters," I say. 

"Alright," Gellert says. 

"And I think next, we should scour the Taker lands and see what we can learn," Tom says. 

"They had _better_ not be summoning demons," I mutter. 

"And what're you going to do if they are?" Gellert asks. 

"Most likely, help them anyway," I say. "I gave them my oath. I don't intend to break that." 

"You broke your oath to the Shapers," Gellert points out. 

"I never meant to keep that in the first place," I say. "And I wish I hadn't had to make it anyway." I sigh. "I don't like being an oathbreaker." I shake my head. "There are always choices. And these are mine." 

"Will you fight for the Takers, even if it means fighting against your friends?" Gellert asks quietly. 

I give him a long look, and say, "I don't want to have to make that choice." 

"And will _you_ continue to ignore me?" Malfoy roars. "What kind of a friend are you if you force him into choosing between you and things he cares about?" 

Gellert turns to look at the drakon for the first time, and stares at the creation for several long moments. "I never said he was my friend." 

"Let's not bring the faction war into this house," Tom says, holding up his hands. 

I narrow my eyes at Gellert. "If you aren't my friend, then you should not be in this house. And if you aren't my friend, then I should not feel bad about having to fight you. Now tell me. _Are_ you my friend, or not?" 

"I don't know," Gellert says, looking at me pointedly. "Am I?" 

"I thought you were, at least," I say softly. 

"Yeah," Gellert says bitterly. "Yeah, so did I. But I think, after Albus, that I should have learned what friendship really means." 

"That's not fair, Gellert," Cassie says. "He's done nothing to you. _We've_ done nothing to you. None of us have been anything but supportive even when you've flown off like a loose cannon. I think we've been _more_ than tolerant of your behavior." 

Gellert stands slowly, and says, "I don't think I'll come back here. I'll go give Syros the information he wants. If the reward is right. I should just leave it to you. Make you go and get it yourselves. I'm sure Tuldaric would love that, huh?" 

"Gellert..." I say, almost growling. 

"Don't think I'm doing this for you," Gellert says. "I just want the canisters." He gives a little wave, and Disapparates. 

I stare at the spot where he was for several long moments, before uttering, "Fuck." I plant my face into the table and let out a heavy sigh. 

Cassie reaches out and puts her hand on my shoulder, and says, "Shh. Don't take it too hard. He's being completely unreasonable." 

"Although," Tom says. "I fear, now things are worse."


	17. Demons, Revisited

When I wake up and go to breakfast the next morning, Gellert is already sitting at the table. I stop in the doorway and blink in surprise. 

"Gellert? Didn't you say you weren't coming back?" I say. 

"Yeah," Gellert says quietly. "Yeah, I said that." 

Tom and Cassie poke their heads out as well. "Oh, he's back?" Cassie says. 

"Look," Gellert says, staring at his plate of food. "I wanted to apologize. For the way I acted last night. I'm sorry. Alright? I'm just... sorry." 

"Alright," I say. 

"What, that's it?" Gellert says. "Just... alright?" 

"We can't afford to be angry with one another," I say, sighing. "No matter what else happens, our first priority should be to one another." 

"Agreed," Tom says. "Welcome back, Gellert." He goes over to get something to eat, and I take his cue and do likewise. 

Gellert inclines his head toward Tom. "Are we planning to explore the Taker lands today?" 

"I think we should go and kill Tuldaric," Cassie suggests. "I don't care if we need to go there to get the research or not." 

"Cassie, my dear, that's unusually bloodthirsty for you," Tom says. 

"Sounds good to me," Gellert says, grinning. 

Malfoy rumbles, and Rispy grips his baton. 

"Weren't we going to try to avoid angering them for as long as possible?" I say. 

"If we're going to do this, we'd best do it before they realize that I've joined the Takers," Cassie says. "And unless they have some magic that I haven't seen yet, they won't find out for a few days at least." 

I frown thoughtfully. "Also, Tuldaric is dangerous. He's most _definitely_ capable of casting Kill. If we do this, we'll need to be careful." 

"Why, Lexen," Tom says. "I take back everything I might have said about you being reckless as a Gryffindor." 

"I say we do it," Rispy says. "Tuldaric is a stain upon everything that the Awakened ever claimed to have stood for." 

"We'll need to Apparate just outside the complex," Cassie says. "There's too much energy buildup inside. It's not safe to try to Apparate directly into the core." 

"Unlike with Zakary," Gellert comments dryly. "He certainly wasn't doing anything of importance." 

"Let's at least go in the back way," I say. "Fewer guards, fewer potential problems. I'd rather not have to kill a building full of serviles if it's not necessary, even if they _are_ misguided ones." 

We finish up with breakfast, and Apparate outside the back entrance to the Magus Complex. Although I might have prefered to leave Rispy and Malfoy behind, I'm kind of glad to have them at my back. And neither of them cares to be coddled overly much, for that matter. 

We slip in the back way readily enough. The one guard posted at the door just glances at Cassie's slate pass and lets us go by. From there, we make our way into the research core. There's nothing between here and there but a few turrets and possibly some golems if we're unlucky, and I won't feel bad about killing any of those. 

Tuldaric is looking through his research notes when we come in. He looks up at us as we approach, and narrows his eyes. "You." He glares at Cassie. "Why have you brought a Barzite and a Servant into my domain?" He gives Gellert and Tom a hard look. "Don't think I have not heard about your allegiances." 

I had kind of been hoping that he would not be quite so alert and that we would be able to get the drop on him. So much for that idea. 

Gellert lifts his hand at Tuldaric and swirling dark energy flies through the air, accompanied by a loud, low thrumming sound. The Kill spell misses Tuldaric, however, who swiftly avoids the attack. It hits a bit of machinery behind him, causing the living control panel to make a squelching sound and die twitching. A nearby crystal spire lets off ominous sparks. 

Things seem to move in slow motion for one fleeting, eternal moment. My friends are opening up by laying into Tuldaric with magic and thorns. I'm moving toward Tuldaric, blade in hand, lightning crackling around me, intent upon cutting him open before he can do anythin else. Tuldaric's hand is raised, pointing, not toward Gellert, but toward me. Straight toward me. Darkness, swirling darkness, moving toward me, too slow, too fast-- 

_THWWWWWMMM..._

I can't dodge. I'm not fast enough. But the Zarnith seems to move of its own volition. The blade blocks the incoming attack. And as it does, the light in the sword flickers for a moment, but doesn't go out. 

Lightning and metal cut through Tuldaric simultaneously. The look on his face... he's clearly quite surprised that I'm still alive, never mind that he's about to die. Tuldaric collapses to the ground in a puddle of blood and essence. 

"Did you just parry a death ray?" Malfoy says. 

"Yes, I do believe I did..." I say. I mentally check to see if Zarnith is alright. 

_I am well. The spells which bind my soul into this place are stronger than that. I'm very nearly indestructible. Don't worry about me._

Cassie goes over and grabs the research notes. A very loud alarm goes off throughout the complex as she takes them. 

"Well, I think everyone's aware of us now," I say. 

"Let's get out of here," Cassie says, heading out the way we came in. 

As we're rushing to the back exit, some servile warriors come up the corridor, shouting at us to stop, and less pleasant things than that. Gellert raises a hand, wreathed in flame, but I put a hand on his shoulder. 

"Come on," I say. "Let's just go." 

Gellert glares at me, and unleashes an inferno upon the cluster of servile warriors. They scream loudly as they burn and die. 

"That was--" I begin. 

"They were trying to kill us, Lexen," Gellert says firmly. 

"They were no threat to us!" I insist. 

"Forget about it!" Cassie snaps at us. "Let's go already, before anymore serviles show up!" 

We rush out the back way, destroying fungus along the way to keep it from shooting any annoying thorns at us. It doesn't look like anyone's following us into the rogue storage area, so we head back through the chambers to where the demon is being held. 

"You have returned," the demon prince says. 

"Yes," Gellert says, stepping up to him. "Tuldaric is dead. We've come for our reward." 

"I felt the death of the one who bound me here," the demon says. "I believe the seals have weakened enough for me to break free now." 

Flames roar up around the demon prince for a few moments, tension building and sparks flying until the summoning circle makes a cracking sound, and the runes shatter with a flash of light. The demon prince grins broadly and looks over at us almost consideringly. 

"You'd better not be thinking of attacking us, demon," I warn, holding up my sword before me. 

"Ah, I am not so foolish," the demon prince says. "Especially as you were strong enough to kill Tuldaric, after all. No, I have nothing to gain by that." 

"The bargain, demon," Gellert says. "You said you'd make us stronger." 

"Of course, of course." The demon prince raises his hand toward us, and a dark energy seems to flow through my body for a moment. It's not like a canister, not the same rush, but still I take a breath and definitely feel stronger in a subtle way. 

"And now you will go," Cassie says firmly. "You will not darken our world with your presence any longer. I feel dirty just for having taken your reward." 

"And yet you accepted it nonetheless." The demon prince chuckles softly. "Yes. I will leave your world. Not because you command me, but because I do not wish to remain in this pathetic place any longer." Without another world or any fanfare, the demon is simply gone, vanished before my eyes. 

We leave behind the Magus Complex and Apparate back to Zhass-Uss. If they haven't figured out by now that we can be pretty much wherever we want to be in the blink of an eye, they probably haven't been paying attention, so we're not even bothering to really be so subtle about when and where we're Apparating any longer. 

Inside the leadership hall, I pass the research notes over to Syros. "Here's the information you requested. We also killed Tuldaric while we were there." 

"Excellent," Syros says. "This information will prove valuable, and the loss of Tuldaric will make it more difficult for the Awakened to seek to oppose us any longer." 

I give a nod. "I can only hope that the Awakened, at least some of them, might see reason and join us. But I'm not holding my breath on them getting over their idealism overnight." 

"They will join with us, or they will die," Syros says. 

"That's the way it has to be, I suppose," Rispy says, looking a little sad. "But if they would rather fight us than the Shapers, what other choice is there?" 

"There are always choices," I say quietly. 

"You have helped us," Syros says, giving me a horn token. "Go to Benerii-Uss. See the glorious things we are creating there. This is a good step, but there is still much to do." 

"What else needs to be done?" I ask. 

"The Radiant College is working on methods for altering life, for making canisters and manipulating the scrolls of life," Syros says. "Go there, and bring back their research. And, for good measure, I want you to shut down their operations. Either by sabotaging the machinery, or by killing their head researchers, or both. It does not matter to me which, just that they must be stopped." 

I glance aside to Gellert. His expression does not betray any emotion. For this mission, he will not be able to get by just by giving over the information they want. This will require actually actively going against the Barzites. 

I nod to Syros. "We'll get it done when we can. Althouh I think first we'll be taking you up on your invitation to check out Benerii-Uss." 

"Yesss," Syros says. "You can find it to the northwest. Our primary research center. See the greatness and power of the Takers for yourself." 

We head out of Zhass-Uss, not speaking much. I have to wonder just what's going through Gellert's mind at the moment, but his face remains unreadable. His glowing eyes are distant, detached, and cold. How did it come to this? How did it happen that one of my most trusted companions, I now have to wonder whether I can really trust him or not? 

Some ways away from Zhass-Uss, we come upon an icy mountain pass. In the distance, I hear the sound of a horn, and a group of translucent shades comes down to attack us. We dispatch them as swiftly as possible. 

"Alright, let's go somewhere else," I say. "I'd really rather not mess with anymore annoying ghosts and horns." 

We Apparate back to Zhass-Uss, and decide to leave by the west rather than the north this time. On the road some ways away from Zhass-Uss, there's a massive drakon sitting at a crossroads. 

The drakon's eyes fall upon the Taker horn pass hanging around my neck. "Ah. You must be the new Takers. Yessss. I am Dryss. Normally, I would ask a toll of you, but you are helping us, so I will allow you to pass freely." 

"Greetings, fellow drakon," Malfoy says. "I am Malfoy." 

"Malfoy?" Dryss says. "A strange name for one of our kind." 

Malfoy gives what might be a reptilian sort of shrug. "My creator, Lexen, gave me that name. It was the first thing given to me, besides my life, so I will not complain of it." 

"Say," Gellert says. "If you've been out here collecting tolls, do you happen to have anything to sell that you'd be willing to part with?" 

"I enjoy my hoard," Dryss says. "But there is one thing that I have no use for. A canister. If you are interested, I will sell it to you for a thousand coins." 

Gellert's eyes light up, and he grins eagerly. "Lexen, you claimed the last one. You'll be paying for this one." 

"Alright, alright," I say, sighing and digging out my bag of holding. Anything to keep the peace. And my scavenging has gotten me quite a lot of money. 

"Hey!" Malfoy snaps. "That's _my_ hoard!" 

I stop mid-motion and have to smirk. "Of course. How silly of me. My apologies, Malfoy." 

Dryss seems to find this highly amusing, giving a snort of laughter. 

"This is silly," Cassie says. "Here, I'll pay for it." She pulls out some money and passes it over to Dryss herself. 

"Ah, thank you for the addition to my hoard," Dryss says. "You can find the canister in this shed." He goes over and makes sure that the door will open for us. 

Gellert eagerly goes inside and uses the canister, practically swooning as he does so. "Battle Roar! Such wonderful spells... Powerful magic." 

We continue on, and come to a spot where we're ambushed by a pair of rotghroths. 

"Oh great, these things again," I mutter, making a disgusted face. "If this is the sort of thing we can expect around here, I think I'd rather take a different route to Benerii-Uss." 

"You're such a wuss," Gellert says, incinerating one of the rotghroths. 

"I just really don't like acid!" I say. "Also, these things stink." 

Cassie casts a Bubble-Head Charm on me. "Better?" The others put Bubble-Head Charms up over themselves, and Cassie includes ones for Rispy and Malfoy as well. 

I grumble a bit more. "Alright, alright, let's kill the fucking rotghroths. I suppose we're doing the world a favor by disposing of the things." 

I don't really like the idea of inflicting these nasty things upon Zarnith, though. Their bodies positively drip with acid and rot. 

_I told you, I'm nearly indestructible. A little acid won't hurt me._

I sigh and concede the point, continuing further on into the area, past a door. As I expected, there are even more rotghroths inside, and by this point, I think I can be grateful for my Bubble-Head Charm. This place looks like it might have been a trading depot at one point, but now it's just overrun with rogues, and rogues of a particularly nasty variety no less. 

We make our way through the abandoned depot, slaying rotghroths left and right. I don't get _killed_ by them, but several of them touch me with acid along the way. Healing magic keeps me going, but it's damned painful, and it's doing a number on my clothes. Repeated Mending Charms are making them pretty tattered. 

Then, ahead, we find a buffer chamber full of glowing runes. Past it, I hear an ominous chuckling sound and sense something really, really wrong. I quickly back out past the runed buffer and signal to Tom to stun me. 

"I've got a bad feeling about this," I say. 

"Tell me this isn't just a fear of acid," Gellert says. 

"Let's go. Rispy, Malfoy, be sure to stay back, and _flee_ if need be." 

"Of course," Rispy says. 

We head in. On a platform stands what at first appears to be some sort of rotghroth, but it quickly becomes apparent that the creature in front of me is no mere rotghroth. Not even the enhanced variety, the rotdhizon, that the Takers have been failing at creating. 

"That..." Gellert says, "is a demon." 

"Brilliant," I say with a groan. 

We charge on ahead, hammering the rot demon with everything we have. And it's still not enough. It calls forth shades to distract us, and its very touch is _killing_ me. After a while, our healing magic can't keep up, and I die painfully. 

* * *

I wake with a groan. "So, it appears that the Takers are summoning demons too, after all." 

Cassie sighs. "At least they don't appear to be _dealing_ with this one. Benefit of the doubt, it might have just been a crazier group of them that learned their lesson the hard way. Tuldaric's work was clearly supported by Learned Pinner." 

"There's a _demon_ in there?" Rispy says. 

"And a really, really nasty one, too," I say. 

"Let's go over to that Shaping hall we saw nearby and make some extra creations," Tom suggests. 

I give a nod. "That might help." 

After adding a few more creations to our team, we head back into the imprisonment chamber. This time, I spot across the room, a translucent drakon on a platform across from the entrance. It appears to be very weak, and energy seems to be draining from it into the platform. 

"Shapers," the drakon says. "Free me! You owe this to me!" 

"What happened to you?" I wonder. 

"Foolish Shapers. They wanted to summon another demon. They thought they could hold it. They thought they could control it. But they failed. They failed again. And we helped them! We helped them to do this!" 

"Shapers did this?" I ask. "Not the Takers?" 

"No," the drakon shade says. "The Takers wanted to keep them content. But we were going to break loose, and throw them out. And then they did this to us! Free me! Free me from the demon that you humans left with us!" 

"It must have been the Barzites," I say, relieved in a way. The Takers were not entirely the ones responsible for this. This hadn't been their idea. 

"How can we get you out of this?" Cassie asks. 

"You must destroy me," the drakon says. "My body is already gone. Destroy me, and release me from this torment. Release me already!" 

"Alright," I say. "I'm sorry about what happened to you. Those responsible will pay, I promise you that." 

"Yesss... Slay many wicked Shapers for me. Especially those treacherous followers of Barzahl!" 

I strike down the shade with the Zarnith, and it wisps away into nothingness. 

I glance around to see if there are any others imprisoned here, and spot a platform containing the shade of a Shaper across from us. I go over to examine this one. He's muttering to himself, not even seeming to realize that he's dead. 

"Miscalculated. Will correct this error. Will not make the same mistakes next time." 

"What were you trying to do?" I ask. 

"We were to bind this infernal creature," the Shaper says. "Barzahl commanded it. The first experiment failed. We tried to bind it in a golem. We think we were closer this time. I think I know where we went wrong..." 

"I'm afraid you're not going to get another chance to try it," I say. 

"So, where did you go wrong?" Gellert asks. 

"Gellert!" Cassie snaps. 

"Just curious!" 

I roll my eyes, and strike down the shade of the Shaper with the Zarnith. "Alright, perhaps that will help, too. The demon won't have those imprisoned souls giving him even more strength." 

Gellert and Cassie bless our group with powerful spells, and we charge in to fight the rotting demon again. It's still painful, and quite unpleasant, but it doesn't have any shades assisting it this time. We bring it down after a bit of a rough fight. It killed two of Tom's battle betas, but at least that beat killing _me_. 

"I'm glad the Takers weren't involved in that after all," Cassie says. 

"What difference does it really make?" Gellert says. "They allowed it. They might have even condoned it. That drakon did say that they'd been helping the Barzites at the time." 

"What, not trying to argue this time that demon summoning is perfectly okay?" Cassie says. 

"Hmm, demon claws," Gellert says, ignoring her and leaning down to remove the claws from the rotting demon. "These could be useful." 

"Ugh," Cassie says, looking away. 

"At least he's not wanting demon _spleen_ ," Tom points out. 

"It's a _rot_ demon," Cassie says. 

"Are you kidding?" Gellert says. "Powdered demon claws can be very useful." 

"I'll take your word on that," I say. "I was never very good with potions." 

"Not just potions. Making magical items as well." 

"Whatever," I say. "Can we go? Let's just get out of here. In fact, let's just go home and spend three hours in the shower. I feel like I want to peel my skin off just to get clean again after fighting that thing." 

"That I can certainly get behind," Cassie says. 

After collecting anything of value from the bodies of those the rot demon had slain, we Apparate back to headquarters. I know I'd wanted to see Benerii-Uss today, but I don't even care anymore. Fucking demons. I strip out of my armor and make for the bathroom to indulge myself in some soap and hot water. 

I'm already naked and letting hot water run down my body when I hear the door open behind me, and I jump a little. I know I shouldn't be so nervous in my own house. There shouldn't be anyone in here that I don't trust completely, after all. And yet I find myself jumpy anyway. 

"It's just me," Tom says. "Mind if I join you?" 

I relax. "Come on in." 

Tom closes the door behind him and pulls off his robe. It takes a lot less effort for him to strip than for me, without any heavy armor. "You seem uneasy," Tom says, coming up and putting his hands on my back. "Gellert still getting to you?" 

I sigh, and give a small nod. "Can't relax. Having trouble sleeping again. It's not good. The nightmares have been coming back again." 

Tom gently massages my back and shoulders with his hands. "I knew this was a bad idea." 

"And I should have listened to you. My mistake. Is there anything that can still be done now? I just... I don't know what to do." 

"Hope that most of his erratic behavior is being caused by the canisters, and that he'll be suitably contrite in the next life," Tom suggests. 

"Should have listened..." I murmur, moaning softly at his touch, feeling eons of tension melting away and running down the drain. 

"We have another problem," Tom whispers. "I was checking on the bonds, after fighting enemies that were casting Kill spells. Cassie's and Gellert's bonds appear to have weakened. They're still there, but much more abuse and they might snap loose." 

"Oh, Abyss," I say, sighing again. "What about yours? I'm not in danger of losing you, too, am I?" 

"Mine is fine," Tom says. "I haven't been hit by any Kill spells." 

"Can this be fixed?" I ask. 

"Probably," Tom says. "I don't know what sort of effect losing the bonds forcefully might have on you." 

"Anything short of eternal death couldn't be worse than having to deal with an erratic bondmate who I'm not sure if I can even trust any longer," I say. 

"We can probably remove them safely if need be, too," Tom says. "I _have_ taken some time out these past years to do some studying of the bonds. But I've also observed that the bond between you and me is stronger than the one between you and Cassie, which is itself stronger than the one between you and Gellert." 

"Why might that be?" I ask. 

"I can only speculate at this point," Tom says. "As a matter of professional pride, I might consider that my own bond was merely better made, but I know that Gellert is no amateur himself. It might also be because they were both done on the same night and may have interfered with one another in some way. But I don't think that's entirely it, either." 

"So, tell me your speculation, then," I say. "I trust your wild guesses more than most people's facts." 

"That is exactly it," Tom says. "I think the bond is being strengthened by mutual loyalty and trust." 

I snort softly. "Here I thought you were going to say that it was love, or something." 

Tom shakes his head. "Nothing like that. Not with demon magic. It was originally intended as a servant bond, after all. Loyalty. But since this is a mutual bond, it has to go both ways." 

"So what would happen if Gellert betrayed us?" I wonder. 

"I am uncertain," Tom says. "The bond might just break. Especially given how it was weakened after Phariton hit him with a Kill spell." 

"Have you told _him_ about your speculation?" I say. 

"No," Tom says, shaking his head and getting a hard look in his eyes. "I say, if he betrays us, then he deserves whatever consequences he might face because of that." 

I give a nod. "I don't know that he entirely does deserve it. I don't know how much of his behavior is because of the canisters. But he did choose to use the canisters in the first place, despite my warnings. And continue using them. And honestly, he seems pretty well in control of himself, overall. He's just making very poor choices." 

"The madmen that are the most dangerous are the ones who seem perfectly sane on the surface," Tom says, chuckling softly. "I should know."


	18. Rising and Falling

"I think it's time we stopped messing around, and go to hit the Radiant College," I say at breakfast the next morning. 

Gellert tenses at that. He doesn't say anything, but I turn to look at him, pinning him with a hard stare. 

"It's time to make your choice, Gellert," I say. "Are you with us or against us?" 

Gellert shifts in his seat. "I think I'll just... sit this one out." 

"I'd suggest a hope that maybe the Barzites don't know that we've joined the Takers yet, but there's only one way that they would at this point," Cassie says, also looking pointedly at Gellert. 

Gellert sighs and stands up. He hasn't even bothered to finish his breakfast. "Look, I'm just going to go find some rogues to kill, alright?" 

"Fine," I say. "Do what you want. I don't care. I won't deny you your freedom of choice." I won't save him from the consequences of it, either, however. 

Gellert turns away, and Disapparates without another word. 

"Why did we not simply kill him and get it over with?" Malfoy says. "He will be trouble." 

I sigh. "Because he's still tied to my soul. And it's not like he can kill _me_ without doing himself harm as well." 

"He can still mess with our plans, though," Cassie says, shaking her head. 

"Let's hope he does the sensible thing and stays out of it," Tom says. 

We finish up with breakfast and make ready, then Apparate over to the entrance to the Radiant College. To nobody's great surprise, we find that the place is hostile, and those inside all attack us on sight. 

"We've got to be careful," I say as Cassie is putting spells of blessing and protection over us. "There's a gazer in here, and augmented Shapers who may be able to cast Kill." 

"So, kill anything with too many eyes first, or anyone that's glowing," Rispy says. 

We plunge in, and start killing everyone and everything we see. For some reason, I feel less bad about killing humans than serviles, and there's no serviles in _here_ to worry about killing. 

"Gazer!" Rispy calls out, shooting off a reaper thorn. Everyone else immediately turns from what they're doing, ignoring the battle gammas, cryodrayks, and apprentices for the moment, and throws everything they have at the gazer. Under the rapid volley of attacks, the gazer goes down before it can even get off its death attack. 

"Well done, all," I say, turning to decapitate a Barzite apprentice who had cast a poison spell at me. 

"Look out!" Rispy calls out. "Reinforcements!" Another thorn goes flying from his baton. 

I turn, far too slowly, and the world seems to hold still for a moment. Behind us, more Shapers have come in through the entrance to the college, and at their head is Barzahl himself. It seems like every Shaper in Rising has come out to stop us. 

It registers in my mind that Gellert must have, indeed, betrayed us. I know that I probably should not be surprised at that, but I'm still shocked that he actually went through with it after all. After everything we've been through together. I had thought, once, that I could trust him. Why would he do something like this? 

Barzahl's hands are in the air, and there's a sharp, high-pitched humming sound, and suddenly, the world winks out. 

* * *

I wake in a cold, dark cell. There are heavy metal shackles binding my wrists. Fuck. Fuck you, Barzahl. Fuck you, Gellert. Fuck everything. 

"Hey," says a soft voice next to my ear. It's too dark to see, but I know it's Tom, and I'm comforted a little. "You awake?" 

"Yeah," I whisper. "Fuck. He really did betray us, didn't he." 

"It would seem so, yes," Tom says. "Don't bother trying to Apparate. There's Anti-Apparation wards up over this building. Gellert's doing, no doubt." 

"Is Cassie here?" 

"She's still out," Tom says. "I've been trying to get these shackles open, but they've been heavily warded against tampering." 

"But not warded against magic use in general?" I muse aloud. 

"No, they have not." 

"Foolish of them," I say. 

"They knew to stun us rather than try to kill us," Tom says softly. 

"Do you know what happened to Rispy and Malfoy?" I ask. 

I really don't care what might have happened to Tom's battle betas. Callous of me, perhaps, but it's hard to get too attached to a walking meat shield whose idea of scintillating conversation is, "Smash! Kill!" 

"I don't know," Tom says. "If they're still alive, they're not here." 

"Someone's going to die for this," I mutter. 

"Lexen, I've been examining your bonds," Tom says. "The one with Gellert has weakened to the point where one Kill spell might just break it and make him dead for good." 

"I just wish it were safe to introduce Barzahl to the Cruciatus Curse," I growl. "But he's too dangerous to leave alive that long. Gellert, on the other hand..." 

Cassie groans softly and stirs. I can feel her moving at my leg. "Where am I?" she murmurs. 

"Not sure," Tom says. "Probably somewhere in the Rising vicinity." 

The door creaks open, and I wince at the light as I try to make out the robed silhouette standing inside the bright rectangle. 

"Welcome, guests," says Barzahl, chuckling darkly. 

"Barzahl," I growl low. 

Rage boils up inside of me. Electricity crackles along my skin, and I direct a bolt of lightning straight at Barzahl. But before it even manages to get halfway to the door, a previously invisible barrier flares to life, and my attack dissipates harmlessly. Only then do I notice the runes carved into the floor and walls. 

"Now, now," Barzahl says. "There's no use in that. You won't be breaking out of this room anytime soon." 

"What do you want with us, Barzahl?" I ask. 

"Not much. I just want you to stay here until Gellert can finish his work in Benerii-Uss." He gives an unpleasant grin. "I would offer you one last chance to join me, but I'm afraid you've already passed up that opportunity. But if you beg, I might reconsider." 

I sigh softly. It offends my pride, but if it will get us out of this situation, then words are cheap. "Please." 

"Is that all?" Barzahl says. 

"Don't leave us in here," I say. "We've been fools to work with those mere creations, and to turn down the might and power of the Barzites." 

"Hmm, better," Barzahl says. "But I'm not really convinced." 

"Please..." I murmur. "I'll do whatever I have to. I'll do anything you want me to. Just don't leave me here like this..." 

Barzahl chuckles in vague amusement. "No. I cannot trust you, and I do not need you. I just wanted to hear you beg." 

I growl furiously, electricity burning in my blood. I haven't been this angry in a long, long time. Probably since before I bonded with Tom. 

"You're a dead man, Barzahl," I snarl. "And Gellert is _worse_ than dead. Don't think that this room will hold us forever." 

"Oh, I don't," Barzahl says lightly. "See those runes? I have your servile and drakon friend locked in another room. If you should manage to break out of here, the runes will activate magic in the other room that will instantly kill them." 

I scream at Barzahl incoherently as he leaves the room, shutting the door and leaving us in the dark again. 

" _Fuck you!_ " I shriek. 

"Oh, Merlin, this is bad," Cassie whispers. 

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," I utter. "Fuck this all. I am going to _Crucio_ Gellert until he can't scream anymore for this." 

"Lexen..." Cassie murmurs. 

"Lexen, calm down," Tom urges. "I'm going to try to analyze these runes, alright? Maybe we can find a way out of here. Without killing Rispy and Malfoy." 

"He could be bluffing," Cassie says. "We don't have any proof that he even has Rispy and Malfoy." 

"I doubt it," Tom says. "You know, if I were still really a Dark Lord, and thought you might actually take it up, I would suggest the practical course of action. To consider them dead already and break out of here and avenge them." 

"How long have they been planning this?" I say, shuddering in rage. "We only even met Barzahl a few days ago!" 

"Either this chamber was built very hastily, or he'd already planned to use it to hold powerful captives," Tom says. "Given his enemies, I would imagine that this sort of setup would see a lot of use." 

"Fuck..." I whisper. "Gellert probably took my horn token, too. They'll let him right into Benerii-Uss." 

"And then these bloody Barzites could win," Cassie says. "We have to stop him." 

The Barzites are very easy to hate. Barzahl is no Trajkov, and they're worse than the Sholai ever were even with their canister madness. At least the Sholai respected the serviles. It hadn't been ingrained into their thinking for generations that they should think that these beings were only good to be dumb servants. But too many canisters, and the Barzites fell right back into that sort of thinking. 

"Lexen, the wards on the shackles don't appear to be tied to anything," Tom says softly. "It should be safe to remove them, if we can manage it." 

" _Alohomora_ ," Cassie whispers. "No good. I'm not strong enough to break them. Even with Tuldaric's enhancements." She sighs dejectedly. 

"I'll try it," I murmur. " _Alohomora_." 

The wards on the chains are strong, to be sure. But I should be able to break out. I've broken through worse things. I've broken into fucking Azkaban, after all. And that was in a world where first year students are taught a spell that unlocks things! 

I put more force into it. Freedom. The spell is enhanced by the thought of freedom. I think of freedom for all beings, and say, " _Alohomora!_ " 

My shackle rattle and the chains clank. That definitely at least affected it that time, but it's still not enough. It's not strong enough. Freedom, damn it. Freedom for all beings, for all serviles, for humans, for drayks, for drakons, for every living thing. Freedom is never an easy thing. It's all too simple to give it up without a thought, without even realizing what you've done, until you're locked away in chains. No, I must _take_ my freedom, take it back from the damned Shapers who took it away from me. _We must take our free!_

" _ALOHOMORA!_ " I scream. 

Crack! Snap! The locks open, and the chains holding me in place fall away. 

"Lexen, you did it!" Cassie says excitedly. 

"Can you get ours as well?" Tom asks. 

I check my pockets and find that my bag of holding is missing. "Where is my sword..." I murmur. "You can't steal the Zarnith. It can teleport straight back to its rightful bearer. Of course, whether I'm technically the rightful bearer or not, considering I was just 'borrowing' it, is another question entirely." 

I don't see or feel or sense it around, so I just go over to Tom and see about repeating the feet again without a focus. At least I can do the gestures more easily now. That will help. "Let's take our free. _Alohomora_!" Tom's chains snap open. " _Alohomora!_ " Cassie's shackles fall off. 

" _Lumos_ ," Tom whispers, and a globe of light appears in the palm of his hand. I wince a little at the return of the light, but it beats sitting in the dark. "Alright, now to figure out these runes..." 

"Actually being able to see them certainly helps," Cassie comments. 

"We've got to get out of here..." I murmur, looking around the room nervously. Imprisonment is one of the few things that can really scare me. I wake up somewhere, locked away, and I have no idea how I'm going to get out, or whether or not I'm just going to wind up dying again and again without recourse. 

"We'll find a way," Tom says. 

"And if we don't hurry, _Grindelwald_ will find a way to do some serious damage to the Takers," Cassie says. 

"And if we don't do this carefully, Rispy and Malfoy could die," I say. I growl softly, and murmur, "Gellert, wherever you are, your life depends upon that little servile still being alright when we get out of here." 

Tom examines the runes a little longer, and then Cassie points at one of them. "There," she says. "I think we may be able to break it _there_." 

The two of them work at it a bit longer while I watch. I never studied the upper years of Ancient Runes, so I'm rather glad to have them around, because I would wind up having to break out of here with brute force otherwise, if I managed it at all. 

The runes flicker and flare as they try to get the barrier down. "Lexen," Tom says. "Can you direct a lightning bolt at _this_ spot? As strong as you can manage without killing us or passing out?" 

That's directly applied force, not blind brute force. Right. "Alright," I say. 

I build up rage and hatred within me to power the spell, and focus it all upon the point Tom indicated. I let it all out, surging through my fingertips, crackling blue lightning striking the rune on the floor in front of me. The wards flash and pulse for a few moments, and energy sparks along the line of runes, and then with a final crack, the wards break. 

"Let's hope that did the trick without anyone dying," I say with a sigh. 

We get up and head for the door, and go out into the corridor. Then I see a room, down at the end of the corridor, that we can't avoid looking into if we leave this way. There's a servile and drakon inside. They do not appear to be moving. 

I run up into the open doorway. "Rispy! Malfoy!" Barzahl didn't even bother to lock the door to the room they were in, just relying on their shackles to keep them held in place. "Fuck!" 

"I... it appears that I miscalculated," Tom says. 

"Let's try it again," I say. 

Cassie just gives a small nod. "We can try, at least..." 

Without wasting another moment, I age myself down and go back. 

* * *

I wake in the darkness. Barzahl will be coming in to taunt me momentarily, so I can't really break out of my shackles until he's done. 

"Any thoughts?" Tom asks. 

"Maybe if Rispy and Malfoy can somehow break out of there before we get out ourselves," I say, sighing. "But if they could, I would have thought they'd have done so. I don't know how we might manage to communicate with them or help them from here." 

"Can you cast a wandless Patronus Charm?" Tom asks. 

"I've never managed it before," I say. "But it couldn't hurt to try. I don't know how many tries we'll get, though. We don't have our bags here, and without any essence pods, I'll be getting more and more drained with each shot." 

Cassie groans and wakes up. "Ugh, I'm sorry about that, Lexen. I was sure that one could bring the wards down safely." 

"It's not your fault," I assure her. 

Barzahl comes in and taunts us again. I don't bother giving him the pleasure of watching me beg this time. I just swear at him until he leaves again. 

"He's gone?" I say. "Alright. Time to _take our free!_ " I unlock the chains on the three of us again. 

Cassie brings up some light, and says, "I'm going to see about examining these runes some more. See if there's something we missed last time." 

"Sending a message to Rispy and Malfoy probably wouldn't be helpful," Tom says thoughtfully. "If they could get themselves free, they would have. Do we have any other potential allies within reach?" 

I sigh. "There was a Taker spy, but he left the day we arrived in Rising. And Zoka, Degena, and Tiree might have helped, but I took them to Medab... I didn't really anticipate winding up in this sort of situation." 

Here we are, deep in enemy territory, and all of our possible allies are either far, far away from here, or being held with us. This is bad. 

"There was a servile repairing pylons near Phariton's hall," Tom says. 

"That seems somewhat of a longshot," I say. "Besides, I don't even know what his name was." 

"I can't think of anyone else that might be close enough, though," Tom says. "A longshot is better than nothing." 

"You're right, I suppose." I let out a heavy sigh and raise my hands. "I don't suppose you know any spells more efficient for sending messages than the Patronus Charm." 

"I'm afraid not," Tom says. "My apologies. There are better methods, to be sure, but they would have required some setup in advance, which I'm afraid we do not have." 

I give a nod. "No help for it, then." I focus upon the memory of the rainbow after the storm. All strife is fleeting. This too shall pass... " _Expecto Patronum!_ " 

There's a flickering silver light at my fingertips, but nothing corporeal emerges. I suppose it's a good sign that I was able to get even that much without a wand. It's still not good enough. 

"Maybe I should try?" Cassie suggests. "Since I've been modified to be able to handle more magical energy. I don't know if that will make a difference, though." 

"It couldn't hurt," I say with a sigh. 

I don't know what memory or memories that Cassie might be focusing on, but I can only guess. And I can only guess that it's probably something to do with me. At least, I'd flatter myself to think so. Cassie smiles broadly, and says, " _Expecto Patronum!_ " 

There's a brilliant eruption of light from the palms of her hands, and after a moment, Cassie's silvery spirit raven comes into existence. 

"Alright, little guy," Cassie murmurs. "You're going to find a servile mechanic. I'm thinking of him in my mind. You can find him, right?" The raven nods its little head. "Alright, then. Tell him that Phariton is dead and we need his help desperately. We're being held prisoner in Rising. There's a servile and a drakon being held in one room with an open door. Get them free, and then come and open the door at the end of the hall. If you do this for us, you can have anything you want that's within our power to give." 

The raven zips away. Gellert might have warded the building against Apparation, but he couldn't stop a Patronus messenger. 

"And now, we wait," Tom says, letting out a heavy sigh. Damn, things must really be bad if _he's_ sighing now, too. 

"Let's keep examining the runes in the meantime," Cassie says. "Maybe we'll find something that we missed before." 

I sit back and let my eyes slide shut, and try to relax and conserve my energy. I can't afford to actually sleep. We might still need to come back as far as possible to try again. But there's not much else I can think of that might help, so I just leave Tom and Cassie to their work. 

I feel the hours ticking away quietly as I try to stay awake, but after a while, it becomes useless to fight it, and I slip away into slumber before I even realize it. 

* * *

I wake to the sound of the door clicking and creaking open. I move with a start. Did I fall asleep after all? Damn it. But then I look and see that the silhouette in the doorway is a servile. After a moment of allowing myself hope, my mind squashes it again with the thought that Barzahl probably just sent a slave to give us food. Wouldn't want us starving to death, after all. 

And then a second servile and a drakon appear in hallway beyond the doorway, and I let out a sigh of relief. A broad smile works its way across my face. 

"Oh, thank all the gods in all the planes," I say. "Rispy? Malfoy? Are you alright?" 

"We're fine, thanks to Ztem here," Rispy says. 

"Ztem," I say. "I owe you my freedom." 

"I think it's safe to break the wards now," Tom says. 

I give a nod, and direct a focused lightning blast on the rune I'd struck before. With a flicker and a flash, the wards on the room collapse again. I rush out and hug the servile mechanic and plant a kiss right on his long nose. He seems highly confused at this. 

"I glad I could do something to help, Shapers," Ztem says, blinking a little. 

"Anything you want is yours, Ztem," Cassie says. 

"I just want to work on machines," Ztem says. 

I laugh lightly. "I'm sure we can find you plenty of machines to work on. How do you feel about the factions? I mean, you were working for Phariton and all, but how do _you_ feel?" 

"I not care about them, Shaper," Ztem says. "I just want to work on machines." 

"You wouldn't mind working for the Takers?" I ask. 

Ztem shakes his head. "If they let me work on machines, I not complain." 

"Let's get out of here," Tom says. "Before anyone realizes that we're loose." 

I give a nod, and we head for the door to get past the Anti-Apparation wards. Unfortunately, we don't find any sign of our bags inside the building, so we'll have to do without those supplies for the moment. 

Tom, Cassie, and I step outside first. The place is guarded, naturally, but we strike down most of the guards in the immediate area with magic before they even realize what's happening. 

"I'll bet our stuff is being kept in Barzahl's hall," Tom says. 

"I don't bet," I say. "But given my usual run of luck, it would not surprise me." 

"Let's hit the machinery," Cassie says. 

"Ztem, you're good with machines," I say. "Will you come along and help us make some adjustments to Barzahl's creation control machinery?" 

I'm fairly good at it myself, but I'd be more likely to be able to break it or shut it down than to make fine adjustments. Whereas for this servile, it's his specialty. He doesn't really know anything else but machines. 

"If that what Shaper want," Ztem says. 

"I've already asked a lot of you, Ztem," I say. "This could get us all killed. I won't order you to do this. Choose. For the sake of freedom." 

"This is hardly the time to argue this, Lexen," Cassie says, indicating that more guards and creations are coming our way. 

"I do it," Ztem says. 

I give a nod. "Let's get to the control center. We should try to control these creations instead of killing them. Turn them against Barzahl where we can." 

We make a circle around Ztem, keeping him out of harm's way as much as possible, and head over toward the control center. I lead the way, electrocuting every human in my path. They're Barzites. I have no mercy for them. A couple of terrified serviles cross our path, however. 

"You two!" I shout at them. "Flee if you want to live! Get out of here!" 

They scramble away as quickly as possible. We enter the canister manufacturing center. The artificial Shaper there tries to defend the place, only to be slapped with a Kill spell from Cassie. In passing, I grab a blue essence pod sitting on one of the tables, pop it open and drink down the tingly liquid. 

"It's back this way," Tom says. 

Ztem is wide-eyed in clear terror, but at least we haven't let anything scratch him. 

"It's alright, Ztem," I say. "We'll keep you safe. Nothing will hurt you without getting through us first." 

"Shapers protect me," Ztem murmurs. 

We make it back to the control room. The human mechanic inside jumps back in surprise and backs away when he sees us enter. I must be quite the sight. They didn't bother taking off my armor, and now I'm crackling with an aura of electricity. My anger is tightly under control, but I damned well _am_ angry. I'd just rather wield it like a blade than as a bludgeon. 

"You're not supposed to be here!" yells the mechanic. 

"Ztem," I say. "Get to work on the controls. Make the creations here serve _us_ rather than Barzahl." 

"Yes, Shaper," Ztem says, going over to the console and starting to poke at it. 

"You can't do that!" the mechanic shrieks. 

"Do you want to live?" I ask, stepping up in his face. "You don't have the look of an augmented lunatic about you. So let me ask you. _Do you want to live_?" 

He trembles in terror. "Shaper... have mercy, please don't kill me. Barzahl just gave me a place to work. He let me work on machines. I never used any canisters. My mind works perfectly well as it is." 

I give a nod. "Granted. This town is coming down, and we're taking every last mad would-be Shaper here with it. Help us if you want, but if you don't, then stay out of the way, and hide or flee while you can." 

"I'm getting out of here!" the man says, making for the door. I stand aside to allow him to go. 

I glance over at Ztem, concentrating on his work. He goes over to grab some tools laying on the floor nearby and continues to tinker with the panels. We have a quiet moment, at least. Although there's still sounds of alarm outside, it doesn't appear that anyone realizes that we're in here, for the moment. 

"Done," Ztem says finally, backing away from the panel. "Creations will recognize you as master, Shaper." 

"Thank you, Ztem," I say. "And my name is Lexen, by the way." 

"Shaper Lexen," Ztem says, inclining his head toward me. 

"We're going to go kill Barzahl now," I say. "You'd best stay here where it's safe. Malfoy? Rispy? Can you stay with him and protect him?" 

Malfoy rumbles, and Rispy nods. "No harm will come to him," Rispy says. "I'll protect him with my life. I certainly owe him that much." 

We head out of the building and onto the streets again. The battle betas and glaahks are milling about now in confusion, but when they see me, they immediately calm down and look to me for guidance. 

I give a sharp whistle to make sure I have their attention. "All of you! Go in there and kill Barzahl!" 

"Kill Barzahl," mutter the battle betas. "Kill Barzahl. Kill Barzahl!" 

We march behind a growing army of creations, sweeping away any surviving Barzites in our path. The guards are frantic when they realize that the creations they had thought were helping to protect the city are no longer under their control. But they don't have long to worry about it. Glaahk stings paralyze them, leaving them easy prey for the fists of the battle creations. 

Then, we make our way into the main hall. Barzahl is hunched in the back, slaughtering any creations that come close. His Guardian companion wasn't so fortunate, and already appears to be dead by the time we get inside. 

"You!" Barzahl shrieks. He raises his hands to try to cast something at me, but then three glaahks are upon him in an instant when he lets down his guard. The stings of their green scorpion-like tails hold him firmly in place. 

"Barzahl, I have one word to say to you," I say. " _CRUCIO!_ " 

The spell might not be nearly as powerful without a focus, but right now, I'm fucking pissed. I really, really want to hurt him. My rage is tempered to the edge of a blade, and right now, that blade is driving into Barzahl's spine. Barzahl screams, he shrieks, he howls. His torment is music to my ears. 

Cassie looks away and murmurs, "Ugh..." 

Barzahl doesn't last long after that, though. The battle betas are quite eager to carry out my commands, and pummel him into goo. With him taken care of, I look around the room for any sign of our bags. Not here. I open up the door in the back with an overpowered unlocking spell. There, I find them, along with Zarnith, in a storage room in the back. 

_I apologize that I could not return to you. I am not actually bound to you._

"Don't worry about it, Zarnith," I whisper. "Everything worked out alright." 

With our possessions back, we go back out to collect the serviles and Malfoy. Ztem definitely seems calmer when surrounded by machines and a lack of things trying to kill him. 

"Did you get him?" Rispy asks. 

"Barzahl is dead," I say. 

"Let's hit the Radiant College again," Cassie says. 

I give a nod of agreement, and add, "Let's make sure no Barzite in the area is left alive." 

That includes Gellert if he dares to show his face after that. I command the surviving creations to come with us to the Radiant College. They'll be out of range of the control machinery there, but between the three of us, we should be able to manage to handle most of them. 

We herd the creations into the college and lay waste to anything that's still alive inside. At least the gazer is already dead. Besides any augmented Shapers we might run across, that was the only real problem in here. 

"Ztem," I say. "Can you get in there and sabotage their machinery?" 

"Yes, Shaper Lexen," Ztem says, crawling into the access shaft. 

"Rispy, watch out for him," I say. Rispy nods and follows after Ztem. 

We make our way back into the Barzite-only section of the Radiant College. The head researcher manages to kill a good two thirds of our remaining creations before going down. But that's alright. Not getting a chance to get a Kill spell off at us is a _good_ thing. 

"Here's the research notes," Cassie says, grabbing the book. An alarm goes off, pretty unnecessarily since I think there's nobody left alive in here anyway. 

We head back out and meet up with the two serviles. "I broke the machines like you wanted, Shaper," Ztem says. 

"Good work, Ztem," I say, hugging him. 

"We should go quickly," Ztem says a little nervously. 

"Alright..." I say. 

We exit the Radiant College, only a pair of battle betas and a glaahk left alive from our army. As we're walking away, the place suddenly goes up in a fiery explosion behind us. 

"Fuck!" I say, jumping in surprise and spinning about. "Abyss!" 

"Did I do wrong, Shaper?" Ztem says, looking at me worriedly. 

"No, no," I say quickly, laughing as I look back at the flaming building. "You did great, Ztem. Just, please, in the future, if you're going to blow something up, warn me first?" 

"Yes, Shaper Lexen," Ztem says.


	19. Making Choices

Cassie tosses the Barzite research notes down at Syros's talons. "Sorry if we got any blood on them." 

"Ah, this is good," Syros says, glancing down at the research. "But your companion, Gellert, already delivered this information to us. And what of their researchers?" 

"Everyone in Rising and the Radiant College is dead," I say. "But today's victory could not have been possible without this servile here. Ztem." 

Ztem looks to me, then looks to Syros. Everything must seem so strange to him, but at least he seems to be taking it well enough. I don't like that he sees me as his new master, but that's an issue to be dealt with another time. Right now, we have more pressing issues. 

"Gellert betrayed us," I explain darkly. "We were captured. But _this_ servile helped to get us free, adjusted Rising's creation control machines so that we could turn Barzahl's own creations against him, and then sabotaged the Radiant College to blow it up. We owe him... more than I could possibly repay him." 

Ztem just gives me a long look and says, "Do you have any more machines for me to work on?" 

I smile at Ztem. "Very likely." 

"Where is Gellert now?" Syros says. 

"He stole my horn token and is probably heading to Benerii-Uss right now to sabotage the place," I say. "He doesn't know that Barzahl is dead. We have to stop him." 

Syros gives a nod, and passes another horn token over toward. "Go to Benerii-Uss. Stop your traitorous comrade. Show him the price of betraying the Takers. And when that's done, speak with Rhakkus and Easss and assist them in completing the Geneforge." 

I take the new token and slip it around my neck. "We've no time to lose, and he's got a head start on us. Ztem, do you want to come with us or stay here?" 

"Are there machines I can work on there?" Ztem asks. 

Syros lets out a puff of smoke. "We are in need of skilled mechanics in Benerii-Uss." 

"Then I go," Ztem says. 

We Apparate as close to Benerii-Uss as we'd gotten before, and quickly make our way in the direction of the entrance. I can only hope that Gellert has gotten delayed by something, or that he became complacent in Barzahl's ability to hold us. There's certainly no time to rest. I'll keep going by pods as long as I have to. My horn token will allow us safe passage, but Gellert will also have safe passage. 

Hurrying up an icy pass, I spot several spawners and freeze in place for a moment before I realize that none of the creations around here are attacking us. Whatever else might be said of the Takers, it seems that their spawners don't _always_ just spit out random rogues that attack everything in sight. 

We make it to the entrance to the complex. Much of it appears to be below ground, like many Shaper warrens. As we go inside, we're greeted by a young cryodrayk. 

"Shapers. The Shapers who help the Takers. Yes. I am here to guide you." 

"Did another one come before us?" I ask. "A human male, dressed like a non-Shaper wizard, with that glowing look of a canister user?" 

"I've seen the one of whom you speak," the cryodrayk says. "He came through several hours ago." 

"I hope we're not too late," I say, sighing. "Can you put out an alert or something? He's a traitor to the Takers and has snuck in here to sabotage the place." 

The cryodrayk lets out a puff of icy mist. "Not good. He could already be deep within the complex and doing great harm to us by now." 

"We have to hurry," I say, glancing to my companions. 

"I'll see what I can do," the cryodrayk says. "Go quickly. Stop the traitor." 

We move on through the entry area without pausing to look around. Maybe Gellert stopped to explore and learn what he could of the area, collect treasure and canisters. It's an idle, hopeful thought. Any hope that he might have delayed or paused in some way. 

The door leading further into the complex is unlocked, and past it, we find the bloody scene of a fight. It looks like some battle gammas had apparently decided that Gellert was an enemy and tried to stop him, with fatal results for them. 

Next we pass through the Shaping area, full of vats, tanks, and equipment whose purpose I can only guess at. We don't have time to stop and stare at everything, however. 

We come upon a strange creation, who appears to be halfway between a drakon and a drayk, hard at work on something or other. 

"Shapers, I am Rhakkus." I recognize the name from Sucia Island, but he was just a cryodrayk back then. He must have been heavily modified. "You are with the other one who came in, are you not?" 

"He was a former companion," I say. "But he's a traitor, here to sabotage your projects. We need to stop him." 

Rhakkus frowns. "I sent him off to bring me a conduit shard so that we can complete the Geneforge, and also mentioned that Akkat would have other work for him to do before he could be given access into the Geneforge area." 

"You need a conduit shard?" I say, pulling a gleaming crystal out of my bag. "Here you go." 

Rhakkus blinks at me. "You were just carrying this rare and valuable item around?" 

"We took it from Phariton's halls when we killed him," I say. 

"Gellert also brought me a conduit shard," Rhakkus says. "He said he took it from a demon that the Barzites had tried to bind into a golem." 

"Merlin, he was able to _kill_ that thing?" Cassie says. 

"Maybe he just snuck around it," Tom suggests. 

"Why would he assist in completing the Geneforge if he's a traitor here to sabotage the project?" Rhakkus wonders. 

"To be able to get into the place without having to fight you all, most likely," I say, putting the crystal away. "Where is Akkat?" 

"In the holding area to the north," Rhakkus says. "I do not know what he might have asked of Gellert, but we can only hope that he has not been given access to the Geneforge yet." 

"No shit," I murmur. "Let's go." 

We continue on quickly into the holding area, and locate the drayk Akkat, another name I recognize from Sucia Island. However, the strange runes marking his scales are new. 

"More Shapers?" Akkat says. "Are you with Gellert?" 

"Gellert is a traitor," I say. "He means to sabotage the Geneforge." 

"What!" Akkat shrieks. "I knew Shapers could not be trusted!" 

"Technically, he's not a Shaper and never was," Cassie says. "As he would be quick to remind you." 

"So then, you, Shapers, are claiming that a non-Shaper wizard who has been helping us is really a traitor?" Akkat says. "Why should I believe you?" 

"Forget whether you believe us or not," I say. "Has he been here? Did you ask something of him to help complete the Geneforge?" 

"He's been here," Akkat says. "I sent him off to retrieve a glowing drayk that had been created in order to infuse the Geneforge with its power. It had fled into Barzite lands. He returned not long ago with the drayk and it's being dissected now. I gave him a key and he headed into the Geneforge area straight away." 

"Damn it," I utter. "We don't have any time to waste." 

We quickly make our way to the entrance to the Geneforge area. My heart pounds in my chest. I can only hope he hasn't had the chance to do much damage yet. He's not so skilled with mechanics. If he were to perform any sabotage, it would have been through brute force in damaging things, blowing them up. 

We pass through past rooms full of equipment, and see shattered crystals, broken pieces of golems, blood staining the floor. There has been fighting here. 

Then, in the back, we find the body of a drakon next to a dormant Shaping platform. And in the room just past him, a room with a powerfully charged basin. It's empty, however, flaming bits of essence having been flung all over the room disgustingly. They still sizzle even as they cling to the power crystals and conduits on the floor. In the bottom of the basin lies a pair of special Shaping gloves. 

"This... was the Geneforge," I say, clenching my eyes shut. "We're too late." 

"And Gellert is nowhere to be found," Cassie says. 

"We have to go back," I say. "We have to try again." 

"He will know what we're doing," Tom says. "He will be able to return straight here." 

Cassie shakes her head. "There's too much energy in the air in Benerii-Uss to safely Apparate directly in, especially into this section. I think it would be possible to Apparate into the holding area. He'd at least need to be let into the Geneforge area again." 

"Provided he hasn't already gotten the key anyway by the point where we wake up," Tom points out. 

"He's probably gotten back to Rising by now and discovered that he's not going to get any reward for his betrayal," I say. "We were way, way too late." 

Ztem stares at the remains of the Geneforge and says, "I sorry if I too slow to help." 

"This wasn't your fault, Ztem," I say. "You've done great. You're the real hero here. It's us who have failed." 

"Why not talk to him?" Ztem asks. 

"Huh?" I say. 

"You sent me glowing bird for message," Ztem says. 

"A Patronus," I say. "Of course. We could try." 

"I doubt he would have listened if we'd sent him one before, anyway," Tom says. 

"But maybe he will now," Cassie says. "It's worth a shot." She pulls out her wand and waves it in the air. " _Expecto Patronum!_ " Her silvery raven Patronus appears and looks around expectantly. "Go find Gellert Grindelwald," she tells it. "Tell him, Gellert, please don't do this. If all you want, if all you care about, is those bloody _canisters_ , then we can kill Barzahl and take his, and the Takers can give you even more and make them for you in exchange for your help. We're going back now, Gellert." The raven goes off to deliver its message. 

Rispy looks at the basin and glances to Ztem and Malfoy, "Guess we'll have to go tell Syros what happened. Right, I really don't care to try to explain the time travel thing. Let's just tell him that the Shapers died trying to stop Gellert." 

"Let's claim that we killed him ourselves," Malfoy says. "We can take credit for doing away with the Takers' greatest foe, and succeeding where these Shapers failed." 

"We're still here, you know," I say, smirking. 

"Can I have your sword when you go?" Rispy asks. 

"I'm afraid you need dragon's blood in order to use it properly," I say. 

"Which means drakons can wield me," says the voice from the sword. I jump a little in surprise. I'm not used to Zarnith actually speaking aloud very often. 

"Wait, what?" I say. 

"Well, normally, people are required to be my blood relatives in order for it to work," Zarnith says. "But that wasn't what I actually keyed it to. It's just that those of my bloodline are the only ones on Lezaria who have dragon's blood who aren't dragons themselves. I've done some analysis on these drakons, however, and discovered that they are close enough for it to work. And also, technically, Malfoy can be considered to be your son in a way, Lexen." 

"You know what," I say. "I'm just not going to argue about it." 

I pass the sword over to Malfoy. Strangely, its size makes it almost seem like it was _made_ for a drakon. In human -- or elvish -- hands, it's oversized, requiring two hands to handle easily. But for a drakon, it seems perfectly sized, natural. And it appears that Malfoy is left-handed just like me. Or left-taloned. Whatever. 

"I wish you well in stopping Gellert," Malfoy says. "We'll manage. Don't worry about us." He grins at the sword a bit more. 

"Farewell," I say. I age myself down, and send myself back. 

* * *

I wake as Ztem opens the door to my cell in Rising. I have to think that, even without the Geneforge, the Takers might just be alright in that timeline, considering that all of their enemies in these mountains were crippled. 

"Are you guys alright?" Rispy asks from the doorway. 

"We're fine," I say. "Thanks to Ztem. We owe you our lives and our freedom, and any hope that we have of success. But we don't have time to waste. I don't know what Gellert might do." 

I bring down the wards with a concentrated burst of lightning, and head for the door. 

"What are we going to do?" Cassie wonders. 

"We should head straight for Benerii-Uss," Tom says. "Forget Barzahl for now. Our possessions can wait." 

I give a nod. "Let's Apparate once we're outside the wards. Everyone grab a creation." 

I take Rispy's hand, Cassie takes Ztem, and Tom touches Malfoy's talon. We step outside the prison, and before the guards can even realize there's been a jailbreak, we all Disapparate. 

We appear in the holding area north of the Geneforge section. The door is already open. 

"Fuck," I utter, and rush inside. 

"He's doing it again, isn't he," Tom says, following after me quickly. 

"I can't believe this," Cassie says. "What manner of fool is he?" 

There are sounds of battle echoing through the tunnels up ahead. Roars and spells flying. Then it goes quiet. Damn it! I rush into Easss's room to see Gellert racing into the Geneforge chamber carrying the pair of oversized Shaping gauntlets. 

"You can't stop me!" Gellert yells. 

I and my companions hurl spells after him, but he moves unnaturally fast, faster than any normal human should be able to move. Even as we give pursuit, he chucks the gloves into the Geneforge and escapes through an access shaft off to the side. 

The basin, filled with charged, radiant essence, begins to bubble violently, and waves of heat pound through the room and make me stagger. 

"Get back!" Cassie says. 

Tom grabs a hold of me and pulls me away from the door. He drags me back into the safety of Easss's lab as the Geneforge destroys itself -- and Gellert makes good his escape. 

"Fuck," I utter. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. We've got to stop him!" I make for the door, but Tom holds my arm firmly. 

"Don't go rushing off like a foolish Gryffindor," Tom says. "The only thing we can accomplish at this point is getting you _stunned_ so that we cannot undo this. The deed is already done. Let him go back to Rising and get his reward while _we_ figure out a plan." 

I take a deep breath and try to calm myself and still my shaking body. I fall to my knees, hands trembling, and hang my head. Going back in time hadn't given us more time to stop Gellert. All it did was give _him_ more time to do what he wanted to do and stop us from killing Barzahl. 

"If this project is a wash," Rispy says, "then we should at least kill Barzahl. At this rate, he's got the upper hand now." 

"I know," I say. "Abyss, I know... We'll kill Barzahl before-- before we reset. But we need to figure out a way to stop Gellert." 

I stumble to my feet and grab an essence pod from nearby, pop it open and swallow the contents. It'll stave off magical exhaustion, at least. I wish to the Abyss and back that I hadn't fallen asleep, but that's a futile wish. It's not like it would have helped matters any. I couldn't have done much of anything until Ztem arrived. Unless I'd wanted to sacrifice Rispy and Malfoy for the sake of victory for the Takers. And while the Takers -- maybe even Rispy, though I doubt Malfoy -- might consider that to be worthwhile sacrifice, I most certainly do _not_. 

"What we need to do to stop Gellert," Tom says slowly, "is to kill him." 

"How will that help?" Cassie wonders. 

"The bond is weak," Tom says. "A Kill spell, or the Killing Curse, should snap it loose. But that might pose unfortunate consequences for Lexen." 

"What sort of consequences?" Cassie demands. 

"His soul could be further damaged by it," Tom says. "Much like mine was when I made my Horcruxes." 

"I don't want to have to kill him," I whisper. 

"Whyever not?" Rispy wonders. 

"Whatever he's done, he's still my _friend_ ," I insist. "He's not right in the head right now, he's not thinking clearly, but that's because of the canisters!" 

"Which he _chose_ to use, against your warnings," Cassie says. 

I sit down heavily on the floor and lean back on my hands, staring up at the high ceiling arching above me. Is helping the Takers in this life, in this universe, in this single timeline worth it? Is it worth permanently killing a friend? Sure, we haven't always gotten along, we haven't always seen eye to eye, we've certainly had our disagreements, but... isn't he still my friend? 

Tears sting my eyes. "There has to be an alternative," I murmur, hugging my knees to my chest. "There has to be some other way. I refuse to accept this." 

"I say, just kill the human and be done with it!" Malfoy roars. 

I shake my head. "It's not that simple! And he's not just _the human_ , he's my friend, Gellert!" 

"But there simply isn't time to escape from the room and still make it here fast enough to stop Grindelwald," Cassie says quietly. 

I just shake my head all the more vehemently. "No. No. There are always choices. There are always choices, damn it!" 

"Then choose," Tom says. "Gellert, or the Takers?" 

I stand up again and reach for my sword, then my wand, and then realize that I don't have either of them. Right, we didn't get them back from Barzahl this loop. "Cassie," I say softly. "Can you get a message to Gellert? And tell him that if he doesn't surrender, we will break the bond?" 

Tom frowns a little, but doesn't say anything, just puts his hand on my shoulder and squeezes gently. 

Cassie gives a small nod toward me, and closes her eyes for a moment. A smile plays upon her lips, a beautiful smile, and she says, " _Expecto Patronum!_ " Her translucent raven Patronus appears from her fingertips. "Find Gellert Grindelwald," she tells it. "And tell him, please stop this at once. I do not want to see you die, but if you continue this, we will be forced to break the bond that ties you to Lexen. You will die permanently, and there will be no coming back from this one. I don't want to see that happen to you, Gellert. You're still our friend. You're still _my_ friend." 

The raven vanishes to go and deliver its message. 

"And what will you do if he still does not listen?" Tom says to me quietly. 

"I don't know," I say. I make for the entrance to the Geneforge area, out toward where we can Apparate. "But right now, we should get back to Rising and kill Barzahl." 

"Wait, Lexen," Tom says, and I pause and turn to look at him. "If you go along, you could wind up getting stunned, and then we would give up any chance of stopping the death of Easss and the destruction of the Geneforge." 

"You're right," I say. "But that's always a danger." 

"We can do it without you," Tom says. "You go somewhere that Gellert won't be able to follow. If you don't hear from us after an hour, assume that we failed and do a reset." 

I look at him, and then at Cassie. I can't argue with his reasoning. But it will mean that I have to trust them. "Do you intend to kill Gellert if the opportunity arises?" 

They hesitate for a moment, before Tom says, "If you want him to live, then I will respect your wishes." Cassie nods in agreement. "It's a dangerous risk, but perhaps there is still a chance that he will see reason." 

"Thank you," I say quietly. 

We head back to the holding area, and I look at them for a long moment and watch them Apparate away. Once they're gone, I Apparate myself somewhere far away from here. Sucia Island. Gellert won't be able to find me here. He's never been here, nor have any of them but Rispy. 

Kazg is dusty, barren, and deserted, although not completely silent. I hear faint sounds, and smell sulfur. It appears that when Barzahl and Zakary came here, they didn't get all the rogues. Some fyoras, at least, escaped the cleansing. 

I sigh softly, and just go to explore the place a bit. If I go and sit someplace quiet for an hour, I might just fall asleep or something, and that's the last thing I want to do. There still might be some hope of saving both the Takers and Gellert. 

And yet, Tom's point is valid. If I have to choose between them, if I really, really have to choose, which choice will I make? Are the lives and hopes of the free beings of this world worth the eternal life of my friend and soulmate? It seems like an absurd question to ask, and yet I find myself having to ask it nonetheless. Do I help a transient world I might never see again, or sacrifice a friend for the greater good? 

And even considering all that, there's no guarantee that killing Easss and destroying the Geneforge is going to doom the Takers, anyway. I indulge myself in a daydream, imagining Rispy and Malfoy cutting a swath through the Shapers, with Ztem scurrying behind them and poking at machines to devastating effect. 

I feel a change in my bonds. Gellert is dead, although still bonded to me. Cassie and Tom appear to be succeeding, and didn't permanently kill him. I smile faintly and relax a little. 

Cassie's raven Patronus appears around twenty minutes later. "Alright, we're done here. Rising and the Radiant College have been wiped out, and Gellert is temporarily dead. Still don't know if he'll listen. I tried to talk to him, but he was completely mad. Let's reset and make for Benerii-Uss as soon as possible again." 

I let out a heavy breath, and age myself out of existence one more time. 

* * *

I wake in the cell in Rising as Ztem opens the door. I quickly get up and fire a bolt of electricity into the rune to bring down the wards. 

"We have to hurry," I say breathlessly. 

I don't even pause once the ward is down. I rush out of the cell and make for the exit. I grab onto Malfoy's talon and Apparate us over to Benerii-Uss. 

The door to the Geneforge area is just ahead of me, and open. Footsteps, running. I cast a speed spell on myself. I race through, breaking into a headlong run, not even checking to see if the others have arrived safely. 

Gellert is just ahead of me. Rushing to the heart of the complex at superhuman speeds. No wonder we couldn't catch him before. 

" _Stupefy!_ " I shout, pointing at him. 

The red flash of my Stunning Spell doesn't even come close to hitting him. He keeps running. 

" _Impedimenta!_ " I cry. 

The spell doesn't fully affect him, but Gellert stumbles and falls to the ground nonetheless. He rolls over and points his wand at me. " _Stu--_ " 

" _Expelliarmus!_ " I yell. 

Gellert's wand flies out of his hand, landing a few feet away. Why was he even bothering with it? Extra power and control, I suppose. 

" _Accio_ wand!" I cast. 

" _Mimble Wimble!_ " says Cassie, coming up behind me. 

" _Incarcerous!_ " Tom snaps off. 

Gellert is tied firmly in place with magical ropes. It didn't occur to me until just this moment that this world has a surprising dearth of spells that can be used to non-lethally disable an opponent. We're having to resort to Hogwarts curriculum spells in order to get the job done. 

"Gellert, just stop this already," I say. "Please." 

He's already throwing off nonverbal spells trying to get himself free. The ropes burn away in an aura of violent flames. There's a wild look in his eyes, feral, like an animal. Has he gone completely mad? Is there any hope of reaching him at all? 

Tom and Cassie are throwing up some quick wards around him to keep him from running off again. Gellert bumps into them as he tries to make for Easss's lab. He growls and turns around to face us again. 

"Talk to us, Gellert," I say. 

"What are you going to do now, kill me?" Gellert snarls. 

"No," I say. 

"Weak," Gellert says. "A true Dark Lord does not fear death, nor does he fear to kill, either!" 

"Despite everything else that's happened, _you_ are my friend," I say. "I'm certainly angry about what you've done, but I don't think you've entirely been yourself, have you." 

"I'm better than I've ever been!" Gellert exclaims. "My thoughts are clear and pure, and I'm stronger than I could have imagined ever being!" 

"You didn't have to do this!" I say, voice trembling. "I would have given you everything you wanted and more! I would have handed you the world on a silver platter!" 

"And yet you didn't! Gellert snaps. "Instead, you scorned me! You denied me the one thing that I truly craved, and for what? It's too late to say you'd do anything for me. Far too late. Now I will do anything in my power to destroy your hopes and dreams, just like you destroyed mine!" 

"What the fuck are you talking about, Gellert?" I say. 

"You try to care about everyone and everything, but it doesn't work that way!" Gellert says. "You don't have enough love to go around. All you do is dillute your aspirations. And you make everyone else go along with what _you_ want without regard to what _they_ want." 

"That's not true," Cassie snaps. "I wouldn't have done any of this but by choice!" 

"You! You wanted to support the Awakened!" Gellert says. "What happened to that? How did that turn into 'let's kill Tuldaric'? It couldn't have just been the demon thing. Although I'm sure that made the decision to betray them easier." 

"Gellert, enough of this," Tom says. "What's your problem, really? And did you ever think to talk about it before you decided to have us captured?" 

"I thought I made it very clear what I wanted," Gellert says. "And then Lexen says that he doesn't care what I do. Well obviously he does, or we wouldn't be here right now, would we?" 

"Not caring what you do doesn't include attacking us," I say. 

"But I never attacked you," Gellert says. "I tipped Barzahl off, sure, and tried to stun you here when you were actively attacking _me_ , but other than that, I never raised a hand against you. And why would I? For better or for worse, _my life belongs to you_." 

"Gellert..." I say in a strained tone. 

"A marriage of heaven and hell, just like me and Albus, it turned out to be," Gellert says. "And just as likely to end in violence. But fuck, at least Albus had the balls to come out and say that he loved me, for whatever that was worth." 

My heart skips a beat. "Is that what you want? Is that what you want me to say? That I love you? Then fine, I fucking love you. Did you ever seriously fucking think otherwise when I've done nothing but go out of my way to avoid hurting you, even when you've been fucking around like this? And _you should know how much I hate being imprisoned!_ " 

Gellert snorts softly. "Too little, too late. Too bloody late." 

"Is immortality not good enough for you?" I ask, voice choking a little. I don't know if I really love him like that or not, honestly, but it seemed like what he wanted to hear. 

"Not when it means being enslaved to your whims as surely as any servile," Gellert replies. 

That hits me like a ton of bricks. I stagger back involuntarily. "I would _never_ seek to enslave another being!" I protest. 

"Then what do you call this?" Gellert says. "You expect me, and everyone else, to go along with everything you say, everything you want. And when I _don't_ , you come up and attack me!" 

" _You got us captured!_ " I shriek. 

"Enough of this," Tom says firmly, stepping in. "Lexen warned you clearly before we left Wizarding Earth that he wasn't going to tolerate any of this sort of bollocks. He never sought to _enslave_ anyone or force you to do anything you didn't want to do. You were perfectly free to go and do anything you wanted. It was when you decided to act directly against us that you crossed a line. You didn't just tip off Barzahl. You told him our weakness and cast those Anti-Apparation wards over the prison yourself." 

"What of it?" Gellert demands. 

"We would be well within our rights to kill you for this," Tom says. "Or to simply break the bond that Lexen so generously allowed you. What in the hell was going through your head to think that betraying and acting against the person who has given you immortality would be a good idea?" 

"He's insane, is what he is," Cassie says. 

"It's the canisters," I say. 

"Don't talk to me about the canisters!" Gellert snaps. "I've had enough of this." 

He lifts his hand, and a dark swirling spell comes out from his fingertips. _THWWWWWWWMMMMM..._

I instinctively try to move away. 

Too late, I realize that the spell isn't aimed at me, but at Cassie.


	20. Angel of Death

Before Gellert's Kill spell can strike Cassie, Tom leaps in front of her, pushing her out of the way and taking the spell himself. 

Tom's lifeless body falls to the floor. 

From behind me, I hear the _k-chunk_ of a thorn baton firing. A reaper thorn flies at Gellert. He moves, too fast. It doesn't even come close. 

The wards keeping Gellert from running off were weakened enough by Tom's death that they fall easily. Gellert turns and races down the corridor. He's heading for Easss's lab. He's doing it again. He's fucking doing it again. 

" _Avada Kedavra!_ " I cry. 

A flash of green light erupts from the end of the wand I took from Gellert, but it strikes only the stone wall. 

"What, actually got the balls to kill me now?" Gellert says, giving a bark of laughter. 

He scrambles into one of the Geneforge labs and ducks behind a bit of machinery to avoid a second Killing Curse. 

"You've gone too far," I snarl. "Too fucking far. Threaten me, imprison me, torture me, _kill me_ , but do not _ever_ raise a hand against Cassie!" 

Lightning flies out in all directions from my body in a rage. Equipment is cracking and breaking, spilling liquids all over the floor, but I don't even care right now. 

Spells and thorns fly toward Gellert as Cassie and Rispy catch up to us. Malfoy isn't far behind, either, roaring drakon breath toward him. 

"Duel!" Gellert says, tumbling behind a large tank. "I challenge you to a duel, Lexen! Just you and me!" 

"Fuck you, what makes you think I should agree to that?" I snap. " _Avada Kedavra!_ " The green flash impacts upon the tank. 

"Winner gets to be the leader!" Gellert says. "And everyone else does what they say. Loser has to be their slave for the next life!" 

"Are you insane?" I say. "What makes you think I'd ever want that? _Avada Kedavra!_ " 

Gellert tumbles away. The flash strikes a tube full of rotghroth parts. They spill out onto the floor. Abyss, the stench. 

"You certainly seemed to be trying for it!" Gellert says. "No more arguments. No more disagreements." 

"No more of this!" I snap. "If I can't trust you, I don't want you around at all! And you've proven quite clearly that _I cannot trust you!_ " 

"What do you know of trust?" Gellert says. "You hooked up with a man who had you tortured to death repeatedly!" 

" _Avada Kedavra!_ " I roar in a rage. 

Gellert readily dodges that spell as well. But he dodges straight into a reaper thorn from Rispy's baton. A burst of electricity rips through his body, and he staggers. Malfoy attacks him with a wave of swirling energy. And Cassie hurls a glob of acid straight at his face. 

I feel his death through our soul bond. Still connected to me, but dead. Dead now, and harmless to me. Harmless to Cassie. But not harmless to Tom, who is also dead. At least Tom's bond held firm as well. 

I fall to my knees, shuddering involuntarily. At what's happened, at what I almost did. My eyes burn with unshed tears. 

Cassie comes up to me and crouches down beside me, putting a hand on my shoulder reassuringly, and then drawing me into a warm embrace. "Shh," she whispers softly. "It's alright. It's alright." 

Trembling, I put my arms around her and bury my face in her shoulder. "You... You didn't kill him," I say. "I was so angry... angry that he tried to-- to kill you... and he killed Tom-- well, temporarily at least... but you didn't kill him..." 

"Tom will be alright," Cassie says. "This way, neither of them will stay dead. You didn't want him dead when you were calm and thinking rationally." 

"That was before he started throwing Kill spells around!" I say, sobbing quietly. "You could have died, permanently!" 

"He doesn't know that," Cassie says gently. 

"The only reason he would have done that was to try to get to me!" I say. "And he probably would have followed it up with a Stunner to make sure that I wouldn't be able to readily bring anyone back. And now... and now, I can still bring them back, both of them, but I don't know if I should. I don't really think that I should." 

"Perhaps it's best if we leave it like this," Cassie says, squeezing me reassuringly. "Let them be. Finish up our work here. And then, start over. Perhaps Gellert will be saner in the next life. I can only hope that his madness was solely the fault of the canisters, and that losing those augmentations will improve his disposition." 

"Abyss, I can only hope so," I say, shuddering. I remain there for a few minutes longer, trying to calm myself. Breathing deeply. Trying to steady my swaying world. 

"Lexen?" Rispy says after a while. "Do you want to come and see Easss use the Geneforge?" 

I straighten and look over at him. "Huh? What?" 

"We took the conduit shard from Gellert's bag and Ztem got it into the machine," Rispy says. "It's ready to be used now." 

I give a nod. "Alright. I'll go and watch." 

I put my arm around Cassie's waist and give a gentle squeeze, and head over that way. Now it's time to see what this all was for. And whether any of this was even worth it. 

The leaders of Benerii-Uss are gathering in the Geneforge chamber. Rhakkus is making some last-minute adjustments at a pylon, and Akkat takes a place off to the side, twitching uneasily. 

"Good," Easss says. "You are all here. You will have the great honor to witness my ascension!" 

I have a sudden, sinking feeling that this is no Trajkov. That this was all a horrible mistake. 

Akkat suddenly rushes forward. "You will not keep this power from me! I will be a mighty drakon!" 

Before anyone can stop him, he plunges his talons into the swirling pool of essence. His body ripples and changes rapidly, stretching and growing. When it's done, the resulting creature is no longer a drayk, nor entirely a drakon, but some mutant monstrosity glowing with power. He roars and attacks Easss. 

"Kill him!" Easss growls, backing away from the fight as quickly as possible. 

Between spells and thorns, Akkat is torn apart before he can manage to do anymore harm. I breathe a sigh of relief. The world doesn't need anymore mad creatures. 

Easss doesn't waste anymore time. He puts on the Shaping gloves and puts his claws into the pool. His muscles ripple, and his eyes glow. Steam rises off of him, and power radiates from his body. 

Then, soon enough, the Geneforge is done making its changes. Easss doesn't look much different, but he _feels_ a lot more powerful. And then I get a look at his eyes. He's not mad, not immediately violent like Akkat was. But he looks down upon us like we're nothing to him. 

"It is done," Easss says. "Now the war can begin. And you, Shapers. I will keep my bargain. You may live safely with us, and be spared the slaughter that will soon sweep through your kind's lands. Go now. Return to Syros and tell him of what has happened. I am done with you now. I don't need you anymore." 

Rhakkus files out of the room to return to his work, leaving me and my companions alone with Easss. The massive drakon is still savoring his newfound power. But he is no Trajkov. I can tell that quite easily just from looking at him, even if it weren't for his dismissive words. This is wrong. This was a mistake. This was all a terrible, terrible mistake. 

This was not worth the life of my friends. Not even temporarily. And it definitely wasn't worth trying to _permanently_ kill anyone. 

"Cassie. Rispy. Malfoy," I say, raising my wand toward Easss. " _Kill him._ " 

I expected Rispy to hesitate. Maybe not Malfoy, but definitely Rispy. And yet, he doesn't even pause for a moment. Perhaps he saw what I saw, or maybe he just trusts me that much. 

Reaper thorns fly at Easss. Spells and energy breath intersect upon him. He is utterly shocked that we would so much as dare attack him. He cannot believe that he is about to die. 

"Foolishness," Malfoy says, standing over Easss's corpse. "To think that they believed _this_ to be their true secret to power. _I_ do not need any Geneforge to be strong. I do not need this madness." 

"I should have realized sooner," I say, sighing. "Few beings can handle the power of the Geneforge and stay sane. Easss did better than most, but I saw quite clearly that... that..." 

"That he'd lost far more than he gained," Rispy supplies. "I can understand the drayks wanting to join up with the Takers. But I don't like some of the things I've seen the drakons doing." 

I carefully pick up the Shaping gauntlets from Easss's corpse. "Best get out of this room quick." 

The others make for the door as I toss the gloves inside the Geneforge, and flee myself as the pool starts bubbling violently. 

"I can't-- I can't believe we just did that," Cassie says. "After everything that happened." 

"I made a mistake," I say, sighing and leaning against a wall. 

I grab an essence pod and drink it down, but it does nothing to dispel the weariness upon my mind. It's not like, chronologically, I've even been awake for a particularly long time. But so many events have happened during that time that it's starting to wear upon me. And we're not done yet. We're not nearly done yet. 

"Are we still going to hit Rising?" Rispy asks. 

I give a nod. "Let's... Let's go kill all those bastards. And then... we'll go back one more time." 

We leave the Geneforge area and Apparate back to Rising. Slip into the control room and have Ztem sabotage the machinery. 

I feel liberated. 

There's no fear in me, no anger, no hate. Just energy, flowing in and out of me as I command Barzahl's own creations to strike him down. We stride through the Radiant College and cleanse the place in fire. And then, for good measure, we return to Benerii-Uss to kill anyone who might be able to duplicate the Geneforge project. 

And then, when it's all done, I pass the Zarnith off to Malfoy. "Bear it well. Goodbye, my friends." 

I age myself down and wink out of existence again. 

* * *

I wake in my cell in Rising as Ztem opens the door. I'm in no rush, this time. I honestly no longer even care what Gellert does. 

"We have to hurry," Tom says. 

I shake my head. "Relax. I don't care what happens in Benerii-Uss anymore." 

"What happened there?" Tom asks. 

I bring down the ward with a burst of electricity. "What happened is that I realized that Easss is no Trajkov. We succeeded. We fucking _succeeded_. And then I discovered that this monster was not worth our loyalty. Few humans could handle the Geneforge, never mind drakons." 

"So what are we doing now?" Tom wonders. 

"Now?" I say. "We cleanse Rising." I stride out into the hallway. "Everything. Dies." 

"I do so love it when you get bloodthirsty," Tom says, grinning a little. "Not all blind, pointless violence like many of my Death Eaters got up to, with all brute force and no elegance. You turn into a veritable angel of death." 

I step outside into the streets and start killing guards, shooting lightning left and right from my fingertips. "Try to leave the creations alive," I tell Rispy and Malfoy. "We will need them to kill Barzahl." 

We make our way into the control center and have Ztem modify the equipment again, and then step outside to take control of the battle betas and glaahks in the streets. 

As we head for Barzahl's hall, Gellert appears before us. "So, what, did you go back just so you could save Tom? So you know, I killed Easss and destroyed the Geneforge again." 

"Good," I say. "You should've gotten Akkat and Rhakkus while you were there, too." I turn to my small army of creations and point to the door to the large hall. "Kill Barzahl!" The creations roar and file inside. Rispy and Malfoy go in along with them. 

Gellert blinks at me. "Did I wind up in the wrong timeline by mistake or something?" 

"No," I say. "I just had a change in priorities and a few enlightening realizations." 

"In other words," Cassie puts in, "we saw the results of Easss actually getting a chance to use the Geneforge. It wasn't pretty." 

"So, you're not going to start flinging Killing Curses at me again?" Gellert says. 

"Gellert," I say. "Just... Tom, can you tell him what you told me about the bonds." 

Tom gives a nod, and says, "Being hit with the Killing Curse or a Kill spell was weakening our bonds to Lexen. If you had hit Cassie with that spell, she may have died, permanently. If Lexen had hit _you_ with a Killing Curse, so would you." 

"You-- You were trying to kill me permanently there?" Gellert says, blinking at me. 

"Yes," I say darkly. "I was pretty pissed after you threw a damned Kill spell at Cassie, you know. You might not have realized that it could have actually killed her, but I certainly did." 

Rispy comes out of the hall again and says, "Barzahl is dead." 

"Good work," I say, and turn to go inside to retrieve our possessions. "Come on, Gellert. We have a lot to discuss. Just, please, no more of the bullshit." 

"Barzahl was supposed to give me canisters for that," Gellert says with a sigh as he follows after me. 

"Forget about him," I say. "It's not like I can't steal his damned canisters for you now that he's dead." 

I grab my bag and my sword from the back storage room and toss Cassie's and Tom's to them. Then I go along the corridor and open up every door along the way. Canister storage rooms, most of them. Gellert, seeming somewhat mollified, eagerly goes in to partake of them. 

"You didn't have to do any of this," I say. "I didn't care if you worked for Barzahl. You might have convinced me that killing Easss and destroying the Geneforge was the best course of action, and I might have been upset if you'd done it anyway, but I wouldn't have raised a hand against you. But getting us captured like that, and then trying to kill Cassie? No. That's unacceptable." 

"Well, what do you want?" Gellert says. "An apology?" 

"I don't think I really care at this point," I say. "Apologies are just words. Mere words cannot mend what you have broken." 

"And what about you?" Gellert says. "Nothing about what you've done?" 

"Don't even start," I say, shaking my head. 

"Gellert, Lexen has done nothing to you," Tom says. "He has been nothing but incredibly indulgent and tolerant. _I_ would have killed you long before now. And if I did not respect Lexen's desires and opinions as much as I do, I might consider doing so now regardless." 

"Let's forget about this for now," I say. "We can put off this discussion for the next life." For when Gellert might just be saner again. "For now... we slaughter. Let's ravage these mountains and kill everything we think deserves to die. And then we will go and leave what's left in Rispy, Malfoy, and Ztem's capable hands." 

"Fine," Gellert says. "Fine. Then I will go and trash Benerii-Uss, since you don't seem to mind." 

"Have at it," I say, waving a hand. 

Gellert Disapparates, and the rest of us make for the Radiant College. I'm an angel of death, huh? Well, I certainly enjoy watching Tom when he fights. I hadn't thought about it that he might enjoy watching me just as much. 

We sweep through the Radiant College like a wave of destruction, and leave only fire and ashes in our wake. It's done. I pass the Zarnith over to Malfoy. 

"Your inheritance," I say. "Use it well." 

"So, you're leaving?" Rispy says. "Completely?" 

I give a nod. "We might be back to this world sometime, but it won't be the same timeline. So, if you're going to make a decision, now would be the time. We can probably set up a bond for you if you want to come with us." 

"Well," Rispy says. "I would be delighted to see other worlds. But after this mess with Gellert, I'm not sure that it sounds like a good idea." 

"This mess with Gellert wasn't a good idea to begin with," Tom says. 

"I certainly have no interest in going anywhere," Malfoy says. "This is _my_ world and I will fight for it. With the deaths of its former leaders, the Takers will be open for new leadership. I intend to take over and lead them to victory -- without such madness as the Geneforge or the canisters. I have seen what problems those cause, and I will not repeat those mistakes." 

"I'm sure you'll do quite well at that," I say. 

"I want to work on machines," Ztem says quietly. 

I smile at him and pat him on the shoulder. "I'm sure Malfoy will find plenty for you to do to make you happy." 

"Indeed," Malfoy agrees. 

Rispy turns to look at me thoughtfully and says, "This is a big decision, and for all that I've had some time to think about it, it's still not any easier. I'll be able to come back to this world sometime, won't I?" 

"Certainly," I say. "It may not be _this_ this world, but it'll have started in the same place. It might wind up worse, it might wind up better." 

"And these other worlds we might go to," Rispy says. "There aren't any serviles there?" 

I shake my head. "I haven't heard of them anywhere else. Mind you, I haven't been to a lot of places yet." 

"I think..." Rispy says, pausing thoughtfully. "...that I should like to see the multiverse. You know, I might not have known you for very long, but it seems like you've known _me_ well. It feels strange, how you seem to think so highly of me, and trust and respect me. The fact that you sought me out as soon as you feasibly could says a lot about that." 

"I'll be happy to have you with us," I say, smiling at him. 

"And I'll be happy to go along with you," Rispy says, grinning right back. 

"Do you want to be dropped off near Zhass-Uss before we go?" I ask Malfoy. 

"There is no need," Malfoy says. "I have figured out how to Apparate myself." He gives a broad, toothy grin, takes a hold of Ztem, and vanishes. 

"He had to have gained some of your skill and knowledge when you Shaped him," Tom says. 

I give a nod. "Very likely." 

I take Rispy's hand, and the four of us Apparate back to headquarters one more time. 

"Well," Tom says after a moment. "That was all fairly sudden and unexpected." 

I sigh heavily and flop down in a comfortable chair. "I wanted to believe in the Takers. I really did." 

"And I wanted to believe in the Awakened," Cassie says quietly. 

"I don't know what will happen in this world from here on out," I say. "But I don't think I care anymore. I wanted to fight for freedom. And instead, I saw creations fighting for their freedom by doing the very things they despised in the Shapers, and far, far worse." 

Rispy doesn't disagree, only nodding a bit with a haunted look in his eyes. 

Gellert Apparates into the room, spattered with blood, clearly none of it his own, and looking inordinately pleased with himself. 

"Did you have fun?" I ask absently, glancing over at him. 

"Indeed," Gellert says. 

I get up and go over to him, and take his hand, pressing my fingers against his. "We... We should be more important to one another than anything that happens in this pitiful world. I think you and I forgot about that, for a while there. Both of us." 

Gellert looks at me for a long moment, and then chuckles. "I think I can get behind that." 

"So, use each world and learn what we can from them, but don't get too caught up in caring about the people in them?" Tom says. "Sounds reasonable to me." 

"That's horrible," Cassie mutters, although not as vehemently as she might have once done so. 

"Maybe it is," I say. "I can't just stop caring, myself. But after this... I've been burned. After all the facts, all the secrets come to light, after everyone's attitude and motivations are revealed... None of them were worthy of our support." 

"I still believe in people," Rispy says quietly. "But I can't forgive some of what I've seen. Not everyone was at fault, but the ones who were went way too far. And they were the ones at the top." 

"You didn't see most of Benerii-Uss either," Gellert says. "Did you know that the drakons were using the same methods as the Shapers used, only far more brutally?" He snorts softly. "I didn't leave any drakons alive in there." 

"Why, Gellert," Cassie says sweetly. "One might almost think you'd gotten principles." 

Gellert snickers softly. "Not at all, my dear. I could almost admire them for it, in a way, if they hadn't been so crude and barbaric about it." 

"Alright," I say. "We want to bring Rispy into this. What do we need to do in order to add a new bond?" 

"Hmm," Tom says thoughtfully. "This world doesn't seem to have special days on which certain types of magic are stronger. So ideally, we'll need to perform it at the hour of midnight in an area with a good deal of available magic." 

"We just destroyed a lot of the readily available ones," I point out. "The Magus Complex and Radiant College are toast." 

"And the Drypeak warrens don't have nearly enough power available," Tom says. 

"I didn't leave much of Benerii-Uss intact, either," Gellert says. 

"Is there anyplace else that can be used?" Rispy asks, frowning a little. 

"Don't worry, we'll find someplace," Tom says. "Even if we have to set it up ourselves." 

"Sucia Island probably isn't intact enough to use, either," I say. 

"We could always just go back to Nodye Coast," Cassie says with a smirk. 

I snicker softly. "I'm sure the Shapers would really appreciate _that_." 

Gellert kicks back in a chair and says lightly, "We could just kill them all." 

I guffaw in amusement at that comment. 

"No, seriously," Gellert says, grinning like a madman. "What could they possibly do to us? We could take them all down. Cleanse them in hellfire." 

"Have I mentioned lately that you are all insane?" Rispy says, smirking. 

"And you're the one who wants to come with us," Tom points out. 

"Zakary was an experienced Shaper, and he went down like that," Gellert snaps his fingers. 

"So was Barzahl, and heavily augmented to boot," I add. 

"As was Tuldaric, for that matter," Cassie says. 

"And not one of them would be able to cast a Kill spell," Tom says. 

"We're all insane," I say, letting out a veritable _giggle_. "Let's do it." 

"Although I think, after today, we could all use a little nap first," Cassie suggests. 

* * *

It's night when we Apparate outside the entrance to the Shaper warrens in Nodye Coast. I don't have the Zarnith with me anymore, so I pull out my pine wand. It hasn't seen much use in this life, and I don't strictly _need_ it anymore, but it's good to have it out nonetheless. I can still get better power and control out of it than otherwise. Now, I'm being a wizard, and not a Guardian. 

Tom sends forth a small army of battle betas and glaahks ahead of us to soften things up, and then the five of us come in behind like an army in our own right. 

This is bold. This is insane. But tonight, we are angels of death. 

"DEATH TO THE SHAPERS!" I call out, raising my wand. " _AVADA KEDAVRA!_ " 

A flash of green light, and one Shaper dies. I cackle as we charge in, sweeping through the warrens like a tide of doom. 

The Shapers were completely unprepared for this attack. Most of them are dead before they even realize what's going on. It's a pity that none of the actual leaders of the Shapers are here. 

As we're slaughtering our way through the complex, there's a thunderous boom in the distance. Warily, we go and check to see what it was. Some bright soul decided to seal the warren, it seems. I just have to laugh at that. 

"Like this is really going to keep us in here," Gellert says, snickering. 

Once we've cleared out the place and left many bodies in our wake of humans and creations both, we make our way into the central power core for the facility. There might still be more of them hiding somewhere, but they're smart enough to stay out of our way. We certainly didn't touch any of the terrified serviles we ran across who were cowering in corners and behind barrels. 

"Hmm," Tom says, looking around at the glowing crystal spires. "Yes, this is good. This will suffice. Cassie, Gellert, you'll need to guard this area along with my creations and make sure that we're not disturbed." 

"It shall be done," Cassie replies, brandishing her wand and taking up a defensive position at the entrance to the room. 

Tom gets to work, setting up runes on the floor, channeling forth power from the crystals through them, culminating in the addition of blood from the two of us. Tom begins to chant in a strange, unearthly tongue. 

The bonding itself is... not nearly as painful as I'd expected from the previous ones. But it's a blinding sensation, and my head spins. By the time it's finished, I feel like I'm about to pass out. My head is fuzzy. For a moment, I'm not even sure where I am or what I'm doing here. 

"It's done. How are you feeling, Lexen, Rispy?" Tom asks. 

"I-- I'm alright, I think," Rispy says. 

"I'm fine," I assure him, staggering to my feet again. "Good to have you with us, Rispy." 

"Glad to be here," Rispy says, grinning weakly.


	21. Everything Changes

I wake in my dorm room in the School of Thought in Torn Elkandu, and smile a little. Time to start a new life, with my friends. I get up and age myself up to twenty or so, and promptly forget to take my clothes off or resize them first. Uncomfortably, I grumble and wave a hand to get rid of my pajamas, pull out my jeans and robe, and resize them before trying to put them on. 

I head for the Nexus and focus my thoughts upon Vakkiri, on Sucia Island. I need to go pick up Rispy first, and he would be around nine years old at this time period. At the edge of the village, I run the young servile, as if he'd run out to wait for me. 

"Wow," Rispy murmurs. "For a moment there, when I woke up in Vakkiri, I thought that the entire past ten years had been just a dream." 

I grin broadly. "Not a dream at all. Come on, take my hand. I will show you Torn Elkandu." 

I Recall the two of us back to the Nexus. Rispy's eyes widen as he stares around the place, at the glowing runes, the swirling purple sky. I smirk faintly toward Keolah, who, while she's still supposed to be watching the Nexus, hasn't even noticed us, as usual. 

"This place is incredible," Rispy says. 

"And we can go anywhere from here," I say. "I need to head to Wizarding Earth to pick up the others. Do you want to go along with me, or look around here a bit while I do that?" 

"As fascinating as this place is, I'd rather go with you than wander around here alone," Rispy says, chuckling. 

I give a nod, and step into the Nexus again, gesturing to Rispy to join me. I focus upon the thought of Diagon Alley, and activate the Nexus, making sure Rispy is with me. The glowing mists surround us and Torn Elkandu vanishes, and when the mists clear, I'm standing in the public Apparation point in Diagon Alley. 

But Rispy is nowhere in sight. I frown and peer about. Maybe he got left behind in Torn Elkandu? I Recall again to see if he's there, but there's no one there but Keolah, still staring off at nothing. I return to Diagon Alley, wondering just what might have happened to him. Maybe he got sent to a different place? 

I find Cassie shopping in Diagon Alley, and she tosses me a bag of holding. "Here you go. Already filled up, you're welcome." She grins at me. 

I glance inside the bag and see a pile of galleons, sickles, and knuts inside. "Thanks. Cassie, Rispy came with me, but he's not here. I don't know what happened to him." 

"That's strange," Cassie says. "Wasn't there another Rispy around already?" 

"But it wasn't the same one," I say. 

"Are you sure? Can you really be sure?" 

I frown deeply. "I have no idea, but either way, the other Rispy deserves to be free, too. Let's go pick up the others, and then pay a visit to the Parkinsons'" 

Cassie comes along with me as I visit the Malfoys and get Tom Riddle's diary. I tuck the diary away in my bag for the moment. Then we stop by Nurmengard to liberate Gellert Grindelwald. 

Gellert smiles when he sees us. "Lexen. Cassie. I'm a little surprised you actually came and got me again, after what a right arse I was being in our last life." 

"Oh, you realize it now?" Cassie says. 

"I don't know _what_ the hell I was thinking there at points," Gellert says. "But, thanks for not killing me." 

Cassie hugs him. "I'm glad to see you're yourself again. You're enough of an arse without the canisters." 

Gellert laughs, and we leave the prison behind. Words cannot express how relieved I am. He'd gone further into the canister madness than I ever did. But perhaps it should not surprise me, seeing as I actually used the Geneforge before and suffered no lingering effects from that, either. 

The three of us Apparate to the Parkinsons' doorstep. It's only by the time we arrive there that I realize that I'd forgotten to pick up my wand. Ah, well, I'll get it next. I don't have any dire need for it right now. 

We meet with Mr. Parkinson. "Ah, do you need something?" He looks over us critically, as if wondering if he should recognize us. 

"We don't have time for beating around the bush," I say. "You have an elf in your care by the name of Rispy. We need to see him immediately." 

Parkinson frowns. "Ah, well, yes, I do. He has been behaving strangely today..." 

Gellert gives a sage nod, stepping in. "A clear sign that he's infected." 

"Infected?" Parkinson says in alarm. 

"Yes," Cassie says. "Bring him to us immediately, so that we can stop its spread while we still can. Otherwise, a large number of house-elves may die." 

"Die!?" Parksinon says. "Rispy! Come here!" 

Rispy the elf appears in the entryway. "What's going on here? Oh, hello! There you are! Why do I have such big ears and such a small nose? Why can I pop around like this? Gah, I'm a house-elf! I remember being a house-elf! No, a free elf! I was a free elf! I'm so confused." 

Gellert strokes his chin, which would look more impressive if he had a beard. "He clearly has it. Mr. Parkinson, we need you to transfer ownership of this elf to us immediately. We will dispose of him properly." 

"And this is why we do not capture wild elves," I say. "They can introduce horrible magical diseases into the domestic population. Quite unfortunate." 

"Am I to be compensated for this?" Parkinson wonders. 

Cassie glares at him. "You should be glad that we don't intend to fine you for this. Provided that you comply with procedure posthaste." 

"Of course, of course," Parkinson says. "Rispy, these people are to be your new owners." He turns to us. "Now, please, get him out of here! I have to make sure my other elves are alright!" 

"I have owners?" Rispy says. "Whoa, weird, that feels funny. My head..." 

"Come on, Rispy," I say, grabbing a hold of him and leaving the house. 

Once outside, I Recall the four of us back to Torn Elkandu. I pull out Tom Riddle's diary so that he can rematerialize himself. Cassie takes off her hat and hands it to Rispy. 

"What's that for?" Rispy wonders, taking it. "Oh... Oh! Clothes! I'm free again! Thank you!" He plops the hat back on her head and bounces around. 

Tom finishes reincarnating his physical body and looks oddly at Rispy. "What precisely happened here?" 

"When I went through the Nexus to Wizarding Earth with him, he disappeared," I say. "He appears to have... merged with the elvish Rispy who was already there?" 

"I have two sets of memories," Rispy says. "It's kind of confusing. But I'm okay. It's not like the two Rispies had radically different personalities or anything. It's just a little disorienting." 

"Fascinating," Tom says. "So it appears that if there's another version of you already in existence in a world, they will merge, including memories? I suppose that makes sense, given how your magic works, Lexen. You're constantly merging with your former selves, memories intact, as it is." 

"I suppose," I say. "I've never dealt with a situation where the 'me' I was returning to had memories that the 'me' that was returning didn't have..." 

Cassie hands Tom and Gellert bags of holding. "I didn't do much shopping yet. If there's any other supplies we want to pick up, we ought to do that." 

"Lexen, did you get your wand already?" Gellert says. "I still need to pick up one for myself." 

"And collect mine as well," Tom says. 

"Right, of course," I say, stepping back into the Nexus. "Can you play the part of a normal house-elf while we're in Diagon Alley, Rispy?" 

"Will do," Rispy says, nodding. 

The Nexus activates. I didn't do it, so one of them must have decided to do the honors instead. That's alright. I smile a little to myself as the mists surround us again and take us away. 

When I arrive, I find myself standing in Diagon Alley with Rispy the elf. The others are nowhere in sight. I frown deeply and look around, and realize immediately that something is very wrong here. This place is still Diagon Alley, but it is not the Diagon Alley that I just left. 

"Something wrong, Master Lexen?" Rispy says, looking up at me. "Where they go?" 

"I don't know," I say. "Stay close. I mean to find out." 

I catch a few stares from people milling about the alley, murmuring, "Oh, how crass to dress like that." "How Muggle." "Must be a Mudblood." 

I pass by a newspaper stand selling copies of the _Daily Prophet_ and peer close at the front page. The headline talks about Grindelwald. It's dated July 4th, 1933. 

1933? What the fuck? 

Same day, different year. Did we somehow go to a different point in time? That should not strike me as so strange, seeing as I _am_ a Time Mage, but it's never happened before. Which one of them activated the Nexus, I wonder, and what did they do to bring us here? 

For the moment, however, I step into Ollivander's. I'm going to want my wand before doing anything else, especially if I'm in an unfamiliar time period. A much younger looking Ollivander comes up to greet me. 

"Good day to you, sir," Ollivander says. "What do you need? You look a bit old to be going to Hogwarts." 

I chuckle softly. "No, nothing like that. I'm a time traveler that inadvertently forgot his wand back in 1991. Do you happen to have a pine wand, thirteen inches, dragon heartstring?" 

Ollivander blinks for a moment at me, and then pulls out the wand in question. "Why, yes, I just finished making it." 

That's right. Ollivander told me that the wand had been made in 1933... I ask him the price and count out the galleons for him. Wand in hand, I head back out into the open streets. 

So, if Rispy merged with himself, even as a servile to an elf, I would imagine that the other three did so as well, merging with their earlier selves. I don't know where I might find them in this time period, so I should probably remain in Diagon Alley so that they will be able to meet up with me at least. I head back over toward the public Apparation point. 

After a little while, Tom appears, looking around twenty-five years old and dressed like a poor Muggle. He spots me and approaches, and murmurs, " _Muffliato_. Good to see you here. What happened? How did we get... now?" 

"I don't know," I say. "I wasn't the one who activated the Nexus. Was it you?" 

Tom shakes his head. "Although it was pretty clear something was wrong when I woke up in that damned Muggle orphanage." 

Cassie appears a moment later and comes up to us. Tom recasts the privacy spell to include her. 

"Merlin," Cassie breathes. "I didn't realize that this was even possible." 

"Cassie, did you activate the Nexus?" I ask. 

Cassie nods. "Yes, it was me." 

"What were you thinking of when you did it?" I press. 

"Just to come back to this world," Cassie says. "But... I was thinking about my little brother, Marius. And wishing that we could use the knowledge we've learned from Terrestia to save him from a life of being a Squib..." 

"So all it took was a wish and a stray thought, and we wound up in another time," Tom says thoughtfully. "This is incredible. This changes everything." 

"I... yes," I stammer. "It does. We're going to have to experiment a bit, test the limits of this ability and see what we can do and where we can go with it." 

" _Omnia semper sunt quae umquam sunt. Omnia sunt quae possunt esse. Omnia possibilia sunt. Ergo omnia sunt._ " Tom recites. "Everything always is that ever is. Everything is that can be. Everything is possible. Therefore, everything is." 

"Tom, Lexen, I want to stay here," Cassie says. "This is everything I'd ever hoped for. I want to see this through." 

"If you like, my dear," Tom says, grinning at her. "If we're remaining, we should try to keep our cover. I had best get back to my orphanage before I'm missed. Could you... come and adopt me or something?" He smirks, and gives the address. 

I chuckle. "Certainly. We'll try not to leave you hanging for too long." 

"We'll make whatever arrangements we have to," Cassie says. 

Tom nods, and says, "We'll talk more later." He goes and Disapparates. 

"First things first," Cassie says. "Let's do something about what you're wearing. I'll transfigure this into something a little more acceptable." She waves her wand at me, and my clothes shift and change. "Much better." 

"Thanks," I say. 

Gellert appears at the Apparation point, although looking like a teenage boy barely old enough to Apparate on his own. He comes over toward us. 

"Good idea on the age," I say. "I saw your picture on the front page of the paper." 

Gellert makes a face. "Hopefully they'll be looking for someone older than this, yes. What's going on?" 

"We've decided to stay in this time period for now," I say. 

"I see," Gellert says. "Well, alright then. I have some experiments I wanted to try with the equipment available in this world as it is." 

"Like the Awakened modification platforms?" Cassie says. 

"Exactly so," Gellert says. "The canisters are too dangerous, but those seem like they could prove very useful." 

"Do you really think you can duplicate them?" Cassie asks. "And make Squibs or Muggles into wizards?" 

"Don't know until I try," Gellert says with a grin. "But I'm pretty sure I can find a way." 

"That's wonderful," Cassie says, beaming. 

"First things first, however," Gellert says. "If we're going to stay here, I'd best get back to the Continent and disband my army." He snorts softly. "I've got better things to do than world domination." 

Gellert waves and Disapparates. After a bit of discussion, Cassie and I decide to head for Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place for the moment, Rispy coming along with us and still patiently playing the part of a good house-elf. 

"Father," Cassie says, coming into the house's dining area. "There's someone here I'd like you to meet." 

The man looks up from his breakfast and raises an eyebrow to meet, peering at me appraisingly. "And who might this be?" 

"Father, this is Lexen Chelseer," Cassie says. "Lexen, meet my father, Cygnus Black." 

I bow suavely toward Cygnus. "It is an honor to meet you, sir. Your daughter has told me absolutely nothing about you." 

Cassie elbows me sharply, but Cygnus just chuckles. "Chelseer? That's not a family name I'm familiar with. And you're not English from the sounds of you, either." 

"I am American, sir," I say. "And I assure you, I am a pureblood. I'm a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, in fact." I give a quick demonstration of Parseltongue to prove it. 

Cygnus brightens immediately. "Ah! This is an excellent match you have found, Cassiopeia! You _are_ here to seek my daughter's hand in marriage, are you not?" 

"Exactly so, sir," I say quickly. 

After spending so many years with Cassie, it seems a little overwhelming now to suddenly actually marry her, but I'll go along with it for her sake. And Cassie seems positively delighted at the prospect. 

And while the Black family spends time making arrangements for our wedding, Cassie and I go off to make arrangements for the adoption of one Tom Marvolo Riddle. 

"Are you certain that you wish to adopt this one?" says the woman in charge of the orphanage. "He's a... troubled one. I'm sure we have other boys that would be more suitable." 

"We're sure," Cassie insists. "Tom is the one we want." 

"You should probably be aware of his issues," the woman goes on. "He's like a demon, he is. We tried to have him exorcised once, you see, but it doesn't appear to have done any good. A horrible devil child, he is." 

I scowl at her. "You tried to _exorcise_ a little boy?" 

"Well, yes, of course. We were trying to help him, you see. So we called in a priest and he performed the exorcism ritual for us. Tom had to be restrained for it, and from the way he screamed, you'd have thought that all the demons would be coming out. And it made him quieter for a bit, but now it seems like you can see the _evil_ in his eyes. He hates us! No normal six year old boy should have that much hate in him!" 

Cassie puts a hand on my shoulder and squeezes, and I push down the rage in me with an effort. There's no use in electrocuting this mad Muggle woman. 

"We're sure," Cassie says firmly. 

"Well, alright then. I'll be glad to have him off my hands, that's for sure. But don't come complaining back to me saying you weren't warned." 

Once the necessary arrangements are taken care of, the little boy Tom finally gets transfered into our custody. I can't help but hug him once that's over with, especially after hearing what he went through. 

"I can't believe those fucking Muggles tried to exorcize you," I mutter. 

"Ugh, don't remind me," Tom says. "To a five year old, it was utterly terrifying. And not a word about the big bad Dark Lord being scared of Muggles." 

"We would never," I say. 

Tom grins at us. "I know. I wouldn't have said it otherwise." 

Once we get back to Grimmauld Place, Cygnus Black turns his critical eye toward Tom now. "And who might this be? Are we picking up strays now?" 

"This is my son, Thomas," I say. 

"You have a son?" Cygnus says. 

"My family was into arranged marriages," I say. "I'm sure you understand, purebloods and all. But his mother died in childbirth, sadly." 

"So you're a widower," Cygnus says, scowling a little. "And with a son and heir already. Cassiopeia, did you know of this?" 

"Of course, father," she says. "And I adore Tom." 

Cygnus grunts, and then murmurs to himself, "Still, there's prestige to be had in a marriage to one of Slytherin's line..." 

He drops the subject quickly enough and doesn't delay the plans for the wedding. Although he's a little cool toward Tom at first, soon enough he's welcoming him like his own grandson. 

And then I discover Marius, tucked away on the top floor. I had been here weeks and hadn't run across the fifteen year old boy yet, and when I do it's completely by accident when looking around for the library. 

The boy scrambles away when he sees me, terrified and hiding as quickly as possible. I follow after him quickly and corner him. He's even paler than usual, and thin, almost skeletal. He flinches even as I come close even as he puts on a look of defiance. 

"It's alright," I say gently, quietly putting up a privacy spell to make sure nobody overhears us. "I'm not going to hurt you. My name's Lexen. You're Marius, aren't you? Your sister Cassie told me about you." 

Marius says, "Cassie?" He relaxes a little. "You-- You don't hate me?" 

"Of course not," I say. "Hating someone for being born is stupid." I glance around to make sure nobody is watching. "Hang in there, Marius. We've got a plan for you. We came across something that might allow you to use magic." 

Marius's eyes widen. "Really?" 

"Hopefully," I say. "But even if things don't pan out, I'm not about to let these people throw you out onto the street, or worse. I'll keep you safe. I promise you that, Marius." 

"Thanks..." Marius says. "I don't know why you're helping a Squib like me, but I guess I can't complain." 

The next day, I wind up having a discussion with Cygnus Black. 

"So, Lexen, my boy," Cygnus says. "What is it that you aim to do with your life? Cassiopeia has spoken of wanting to conduct magical research. What about you?" 

"I've been doing some various research and experiments of my own," I say. "Most recently, I've been dealing with blood. Why purebloods are better, why Squibs exist and how to fix them, what effect interbreeding with magical creatures has, that sort of thing." 

"I see," Cygnus says, frowning at my mention of Squibs. 

"Speaking of which," I say. "Do you happen to mind if we borrow Marius? I've got some experiments planned and require a test subject. Unfortunately, I can't be certain of my experiments might further damage or even kill the subject." 

"You know about him?" Cygnus says. 

"Certainly," I say. "Your daughter mentioned him when we were discussing Squibs. Me, I'm a researcher. I don't make judgments. I just want to find out why this happened, and how to fix it." 

"I see," Cygnus says, frowning. "Do what you like with him. Just make sure that if you can't figure out how to fix him, then I don't want to see him again, understand?" 

"Perfectly, sir." 

* * *

"Nice place you've got here," says Gellert, stepping inside our new home. 

"I'm just glad to be away from my family, myself," Cassie says. "I'd forgotten what it was like to be around them." 

"Good to see you finally made it, Gellert," I say. 

"About time I managed to clean up loose ends on the Continent," Gellert says. "Who knew that disbanding an army of dark wizards without causing any further unfortunate incidents could be so complicated?" 

I chuckle softly and lead him into the dining area, where Marius and Rispy are having tea. They're both a lot more relaxed since we left Grimmauld Place. Marius doesn't have to hide, and Rispy doesn't have to pretend to be an obedient house-elf. 

"Tell me more about the Shapers," Marius is saying. "What sort of magical creatures did they make?" 

I clear my throat and get their attention from the doorway. "Marius, I'd like you to meet our old friend, Gellert Grindelwald." 

"Grindelwald?" Marius says in surprise, almost dropping his teacup. "The Dark Lord?" 

"Former Dark Lord," Gellert says, shrugging. "I'm sure the papers have been all awash with my erratic behavior lately." He smirks. "The Dark Lord Grindelwald, suddenly deciding he doesn't give a damn about world domination? Preposterous, huh?" 

"When can we get started?" I ask. 

"I've already started drawing up some plans and figuring out what we're going to need," Gellert says. "Who's up for a shopping trip?" He grins wickedly. Despite his claims about being a _former_ Dark Lord, his grin never ceases to seem a little creepy to me. Not that it particularly bothers me that much. 

"I'll go," I say. 

"I probably shouldn't," Marius says. 

"I think I'll pass on this one," Cassie says, unsurprisingly. She's been spending as much time as she can manage with her little brother ever since we got back, and now that we're away from the Blacks, she's been able to be around him a lot more. 

Gellert and I Apparate over to Diagon Alley. He passes me a piece of parchment in which he's written a list of materials to look out for. Some of them are easy enough to get in this world, or at least close analogs, while others are going to be very difficult and will probably require a lot of improvisation, perhaps creating them from scratch if need be. 

We spend some time searching around the place, poking into one shop or another, buying some items and stuffing them away into our bags. One specialty shop in Knockturn Alley looks like it might have a serviceable substitute for Terrestian crystals, even, but they're a lot rarer in this world. 

"Gellert?" says a voice behind us suddenly. 

I turn to look in surprise, and see an Albus Dumbledore who still has color in his hair. It would figure that, although Gellert is using a form much younger than anyone should recognize him, we would run into somebody who would recognize him. 

"Hello, Albus," Gellert says, smiling at him and putting down the crystal he was looking at. 

"What are you doing here?" Albus wonders. "You know I will not allow you to conquer this fine country." 

Gellert snorts softly. "What makes you think I'm here for conquest?" 

"Recruitment, then?" Albus says, looking to me. 

"Bah," Gellert says, shaking his head. "What is this? You raise an army and conquer several countries, and your face is all over the paper, but if you disband that army and tell everyone to go home and decide that conquering the world is a foolish plan, then that's not newsworthy? Or maybe you just haven't been reading the news?" 

"I have," Albus says. "Although I'm not the only one who is dubious about your intentions. This is all very sudden, and I cannot be sure that it is not merely some clever scheme to get people to let down their guard." 

"It's not a scheme," I say. 

"And who might you be, young man?" Albus says. "His apprentice? Perhaps his lover?" 

I snort softly. "I just got married to Cassiopeia Black last Sunday." 

"Black, hmm? So, a dark wizard, then?" 

"Cassie's about the least dark Black you'll ever see," I reply. 

"Perhaps, then, you do not realize what you are getting into by associating with this man," Albus says. "You do not comprehend what sort of person he truly is." 

"I think I understand that pretty well," I say thinly, giving Albus a hard look. 

"Do you really?" Albus says. 

I stalk right up to him and get in his face. "Do _not_ presume to know what I have gone through to get to this point. You--" 

Gellert puts his hand on my shoulder. "Lexen, do calm down." 

I look aside at him and sigh, relax and turn away, taking a few steps away from them. "Sorry for the outburst." 

"Your apprentice clearly has much to learn," Albus says. 

"He's not my apprentice," Gellert says, grinning a little. "If anything, I am his." 

"So how did it come to be that you look like a young man again?" Albus says. "This is no Polyjuice Potion. This is you as you were... then. Before." 

Gellert gives a nod. "Much has changed since we last spoke to one another. So, let's make this simple. I bid you greetings, Albus, from the year 1996." 

"You... How?" Albus says. 

"How is not important," Gellert says, waving a hand. "What's important is that I made a lot of mistakes, and I saw the culmination of them, and paid the price. And, just when I thought I had learned my lesson, I did something foolish _again_ , and it's only by the mercy of Lexen here that I'm still alive. I've received more chances than I deserved. So, when it came to pass that we wound up in the past, I tried to set right what I still could. I sent my armies home. I razed Nurmengard and freed those I had imprisoned. I gave up the power of the Dark Lord." 

"I... cannot believe that you would voluntarily give up power," Albus says. 

"Blindly reaching for power, power, and more power is what very nearly ended me," Gellert says. "Lexen warned me. He _warned_ me, and I didn't listen. Like a fool, I didn't _listen_ , and that power very nearly drove me mad. No, let me amend that. It _did_ drive me mad, for a while." 

"You aren't exactly alive by my mercy," I say quietly. "You're alive because I couldn't land a Killing Curse on you." 

Gellert snickers softly. "There is that, too. But I won't blame you, because it was my own stupidity that led to that point, anyway. I fired the first Kill spell. You just responded in kind." 

Albus stares at us. "I... see. And what do you intend to do now, Gellert?" 

"Now? I'm building a machine that can, if it works properly, modify a Squib's body to be capable of using magic," Gellert replies. 

"That seems a bit far from your usual activities," Albus says. 

Gellert shrugs. "Everything changes, Albus. Would you like to help?"


	22. Happily Ever After

Once he discovers that we're actually doing what we claim to be doing, Albus helps us with our project with great interest. He's uneasy and cool around Gellert at first, but after seeing how much Gellert has changed, he softens, and eventually warms up to him again. 

It takes us almost a year to build the machine, with Albus helping on and off when he isn't busy teaching. When it's finally done, Marius steps into it for the moment of truth. Screaming with agony, glowing with power, twitching as energy rushes through him. And when it's done, he stumbles out of the machine. He doesn't go to lie down, but grabs at the nearest wand laying on a table nearby. 

" _Lumos_ ," Marius rasps. 

The tip of the wand glows, brightly, radiantly, like a small sun. Marius smiles broadly, then gives a small laugh, and collapses. 

As Rispy goes to take Marius off to rest, Cassie throws her arms around Gellert. "We did it," she breathes. "We really did it." 

"I was not certain until I saw it for myself that this might even be possible," Albus says. 

"Your knowledge of transfiguration certainly helped," Gellert says. "Along with the Shaping techniques we brought back from Terrestia." 

I leave them there as they start to discuss how they might make the power flow more efficient and the process less painful, and go off to find Tom. I find the seven year old boy in the library, avidly reading. He looks up at me and peers intently at me as I approach, seeming to look into my very soul. And my soul feels very disoriented as it is, as though I were the one in the machine instead of Marius. 

"How are you feeling?" Tom asks. 

"I wasn't the one being experimented upon," I reply. 

"No, but your soul is in turmoil as it is," Tom says. "Is the bond with Cassie still intact? It's hard to tell, the way it's swirling." 

"You can _see_ my soul?" I say. "When did you become a Seeker?" 

"Well, not precisely," Tom says. "I can sense it, though. Maybe not as precise as actually seeing it visually, but... hmm, yes, it only looks like you have three connections leading off from you." 

"Cassie... isn't bonded to me anymore..." I whisper. "What happened? What went wrong? Did the machine interfere with the bonds somehow?" 

"No, I don't think so," Tom says. "I have a theory, though." 

"Let's hear it," I say. "Can we fix this?" 

"I honestly do not know," Tom says. "Magic is often tied to emotion. _Your_ power, I believe, is based upon the feeling of regret: the desire to change the past." 

"But I don't always regret a death," I protest. 

"Ah, but you always want to go back," Tom says. "And there's always that one thing in the back of your mind that you wish you could have done." 

"I wish I could have saved my cousins and stopped Sedder," I say softly. "But, the more I travel to different worlds, I just collect more and more things that I wish I could have done." 

"Saving Marius, I think, was Cassie's big one," Tom says. "It was strong enough that it brought us back, here and now, even when we'd intended to go somewhere else." 

"But, so far as she knew up until we visited Terrestia, that was an impossible wish," I say. 

Tom nods. "A wish doesn't need to be realistic, feasible, or even within the known realm of possibility in order to exist. It's often the pursuit of the impossible that drives us to greater heights, or compels us to grasp at dark powers in an attempt at finding what we seek." 

"But why would this break the bond? You said it was based on loyalty," I say. 

"It is," Tom says. "But _your_ power is based on regret. I believe that your power simply decided that its work was done, and withdrew itself." 

"Are you suggesting that my power makes decisions for itself?" 

"Working with your soul has been an... interesting experience," Tom says. "It's alive. It's conscious. And it was very, very difficult to bond myself to you. Rispy came _easily_ , and it accepted him almost at once. But I had to work at it in order to make it accept me." He stares off. "I offered it everything for a chance at immortality. Although I think I got a better deal this time than with the Horcruxes. I fear that, even if we performed the ritual again, I may not be able to coax it into allowing a bond to her again." 

"We have to tell Cassie," I say softly. 

That evening, we call in all of our bondmates for a meeting to discuss what's happened. Tom repeats what he told me and goes over his theories. 

Cassie doesn't look nearly as upset as I might have expected her to be. "Eternity was never my heart's desire," she says quietly. "And if this should be my last life, then I cannot regret that. Marius is doing well. My greatest regret has been soothed. Now, the only thing I might wish for beyond this, would be... to see my children grow up, and my grandchildren..." 

"But, I always thought that you mainly wanted to learn," I say. "To gain as much knowledge as possible." 

"I wasted my entire first life learning," Cassie says. "Doing research alone, by myself, holing myself away from the world. And in the end, what did I get for it? No vibrant enlightenment. No sense of fulfillment. Just empty pages, meaningless knowledge. One life forgotten." 

"You... want to have children," I whisper. 

"I would have been more than content in my last life to have merely lived my life again a second time, the great gift that you gave me," Cassie says, and smiles at me. "Especially if I could have lived that life with you." 

"I'm sorry that things didn't work out as we'd hoped," I say. 

Cassie shakes her head. "It's alright. This... this is even better. Now..." Tears sparkle in her eyes. "Now, I have my baby brother back." 

I put my arm around her. "Then, if it's children and grandchildren you want, I'll do my best to provide." I smile at her. "At least this time, I think we won't need to worry so much about Dark Lords." I give a grin to Tom and Gellert. 

"Most people only get one life," Cassie says. "Now... you've given me the chance to live the life I always wished that I could have had." 

"Regret and hope," Tom murmurs, mostly to himself. "Wishes and desires." He turns to the elf and says, "Tell me, Rispy, what is your greatest regret? And what is your greatest hope?" 

"I don't know about regrets," Rispy says. "I regret not being able to do anything when the Shapers came to Sucia Island and started to cleanse the place. I regret having been captured by the Parkinsons. I regret spending most of my life buying into the futile philosophy of the Awakened. I regret my people ever having been enslaved in the first place, whether they be serviles or elves." 

Tom gives a nod. "And what do you hope for? What do you wish for?" 

Rispy gives a crooked grin. "Like Lexen, my greatest hope is an impossible wish. Nothing less and nothing more than freedom for all beings." 

"I see," Tom says thoughtfully. "Perhaps that is why your bond came so easily." 

"Until I came here, I would have been content with freedom of the serviles, even freedom of the drayks," Rispy says. "But then I arrived in this world and learned firsthand about the plight of the elves. And I have little doubt that each world I might visit, I'll learn of some other great injustice to be righted. Where does it end? If only I could be content with something so simple as a chance to have a family. I envy you, Cassie, in a way." He smiles faintly at her. 

"What of you, Tom?" Cassie asks. "What is your regret? What is your hope?" 

"I always wished for immortality," Tom says slowly. "And I regretted the means I used to take it." 

"You have to wish for something more than simply to live," Rispy says. 

"I do," Tom says. "I wish to spend eternity with Lexen." 

I feel my face flush at that. "Is that really all you wish for?" 

"That, and I promised your magic that I would be there for you, to support you and keep your balance no matter what you were going through." He snorts softly. "Somebody needs to keep you from turning into an alcoholic, after all." 

"But what do you wish for yourself?" I ask. 

"I wished to live, and I feared to die," Tom says. "And... I regret having gone after the Potters. Not just for what happened to me afterward, but..." He shakes his head. "I was a different person then, one driven mad by overuse of Horcruxes." 

Gellert snorts softly. "A true Dark Lord does not fear death." 

"Neither of us are being overly good -- or bad, as the case may be -- Dark Lords anymore," Tom points out. "And what about you, Gellert? What is your wish? What do you regret? What do you hope for?" 

Gellert lets out a ragged sigh. "That's awfully personal, but since everyone else is sharing, eh, why not." He takes a deep breath. "I regret... I regret having started on this fool plan for world domination, 'for the greater good' or otherwise. I regret having ever fought with Albus. I regret having accidentally killed his sister." 

There's a sound from just outside the door. I peer over that way in alarm. We'd gotten so used to being able to speak freely in our own home that I don't think anyone bothered to put up privacy spells. 

"You might as well come in now," Gellert says. "We know you're there." 

Albus opens the door and steps into the room, looking almost sheepish, a strange expression for him. "Gellert..." he says. "My... apologies for eavesdropping." 

Gellert dismisses it with a wave of his hand. He stands up and strides over to Albus in two steps, takes him in his arms, and plants a passionate kiss on him. Albus's eyes widen in surprise, but he relaxes after a moment. After a few minutes, he breaks it off, to the applause of everyone watching. 

"Alright," Gellert says with a smirk. "Now that we've both been horribly embarrassed, why don't you have a seat and join us?" He laughs aloud. 

Gellert sits down again, and Albus awkwardly takes a spot at the table. I've never seen Dumbledore looking so off-balance or unsure of himself, even if this is admittedly a much younger version of him. 

"So, it's your turn now, Lexen," Gellert says. "And the most important one, considering it's your power that we've been using. What is your wish? What are your regrets and hopes?" 

I sigh. "Every world I visit gives me more regrets and more hopes. I start to think that regret and hope are what I'm built on." 

"They are," Tom says. "So far as I can tell. And from my experience with traveling with you, you are not the sort of person who can lightly let anything go. You get emotionally invested in _everything_ , even when you try to keep your distance." 

"The hope of a thousand worlds," I say softly, shaking my head slowly. "Was that what the prophecy might have meant? I don't know. Not much of a prophecy, I always thought. And I always thought prophecies are bullshit to begin with." 

"But it was one event that started it all," Tom goes on to say. "Torn Elkandu. Sedder. Sardill." 

I give a small nod. "I wanted to save my cousins, but it wasn't just about that, nor even just about killing Sedder." I snort softly. "I wanted to match Sardill, who is effectively a deity. And that, for wanting never to be helpless. And then he kept saying cryptic things to me that made no sense. That he was merely the one who started things in motion, and I was the one who had the power to change the universe." 

"And what that all might mean or where it might lead, I can't even speculate at this point," Tom says. 

"Well, if I'm to be the hope of a thousand worlds," I say. "Let's start with this one." 

"Prevent the Muggles' inevitable discovery of the magical world from destroying us," Gellert says. 

"See about working toward freedom for the elves," Rispy adds. 

"Do our part to... repopulate the magical world," Cassie says with a grin. 

"And make sure that no upstart Dark Lords threaten that," Tom says. 

"I think we have our work cut out for us," I say, chuckling softly. 

* * *

An autumn wind blows past, sending leaves of red, orange, and yellow scattering across the grass. A warm sun shines down, poking out from between white clouds, a sky streaked with slashes of blue. 

Asphodel upon the gravestone. The words, carved into the stone, _Cassiopeia Persephone Black, 1915-2012. Quaerunt illa in aeternitate, quia illa non est hic._

Tears sting my eyes unbidden, and my old bones ache. Tom reaches out and takes my hand, and whispers, "Seek her in eternity, for she is not here." 

I've been in this life for longer than the rest of my existence combined, and yet it seems like it all passed like one, long happy dream, doomed to end, doomed to wake. This, too, shall pass, like the rainbow in the wake of the storm. All things, good or ill, are fleeting and eternal. What ever was shall always be, and yet will never be again. 

"I'll be here for you, always," Tom promises me quietly. 

"I still can't believe that this is what she wanted," I murmur. "That she kept refusing letting me use my powers to give her a few more years, a few more decades. It seems... it seems strange to me to think of her as being suicidal. Why would someone gladly embrace death like this?" 

"Albus always said that death was merely the next great adventure," Gellert says from the other side of me. 

"The Elkandu--" I say, the word feeling strange to my lips after all these years, "--believed in rebirth, in reincarnation. That death merely leads to another life, another chance, another opportunity." 

"Maybe they're right," Gellert says. "I don't know. I can just hope that, wherever their next lives, their next great adventures, whatever, that wherever Cassie and Albus are now, that they'll be happy." 

"Cassie was happy every moment of her life," Tom says. "The way she smiled, the way nothing could ever get her down." 

"Not even when Sagittarius got assaulted by Muggles," Gellert says. "And all his brothers came out to defend him, looking like they were about to start doing some serious damage. But then Cassie just came out and stepped in, and gave them this disappointed look, and everyone just scattered." 

"Or that time when Sirius ran away from home, and Walburga was about to disown him, and Cassie just walked right into Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place and gave her a piece of her mind," Tom says. "And then started making arrangements for Sirius and Remus's wedding." Tom laughs aloud. "Walburga was _mortified_." 

Gellert chuckles. "Good times, good times." 

I gaze at the grave for a minute longer, and then turn to walk away beneath the canopy of red leaves. "So, is this what 'happily ever after' really means?" 

"Cassie got her happy ending," Gellert says. "The rest us, well, we still have a long way to go. Me? I've been looking for ways to help Albus's sister. She was already messed up when I met them... And I don't think I'm going to find the answers in this world." 

"So, will we be finally moving on, then?" I say distantly. "Cassie is gone. Is it time that we be leaving this world as well?" 

"I think it's about time," Tom says. "There's still much that could be done. Things are still tense between Muggles and wizards, after all. But, I think... our children, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren can probably handle it themselves." 

Gellert chuckles softly. "Nobody ever caught on that some of Cassie's children were Dragonbloods, and some were Parselmouths." 

"Yeah..." I say, grinning a bit. "Let's go and say goodbye first, before we go anywhere. And go and find Rispy." 

"He's probably at Hogwarts," Tom says. "Ever since he got that position teaching Magical Creatures." 

I find that I have nothing to regret about this life, beyond, perhaps, wishing that it didn't have to end. There is much that I could tell about it. Seeing my oldest, Raven, take her first steps. Hearing Thalia speak her first words in Parseltongue instead of English. Feeling the warmth of my first great-great-grandchild cradled in my arms. 

But there's no need. For all that has happened, it's been a quiet life. A happy life. We're leaving this world in good hands. And it's time to close this chapter of my existence. 

So, now, to eternity. I have more dreams to chase, regrets to vanquish, hopes to bear, and wishes to fulfill. 

Goodbyes are like autumn leaves, fluttering away in the wind. But I know that the flowers will bloom again, and there will always be another spring.


End file.
